Bronze after an 85-minute semi-final

Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah finished with bronze in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games women’s doubles after losing 21–16, 20–22, 12–21 to China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning on 28 September. The semi-final at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium lasted 85 minutes. Their medal came from reaching the semi-finals, not from winning a separate bronze-medal play-off.

Game scores: 21–16, 20–22, 12–21

The Malaysians took the opening game, but a narrow second-game defeat sent the contest into a decider. Liu and Tan then took the third game 21–12, ending Pearly and Thinaah’s bid for a place in the final.

Second-game execution draws attention

In Bernama’s post-match coverage, coach Rexy Mainaky pointed to errors at important moments in the second game and a difference in power in the third. Pearly said the Chinese pair sustained their pace and focus in the decider while the Malaysians needed greater composure on crucial points. These are the participants’ assessments, rather than independently measured performance statistics.

Malaysia’s first women’s doubles medal since 2014

The Star identifies Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei’s 2014 bronze as Malaysia’s previous Asian Games medal in the event. Pearly and Thinaah have therefore ended a 12-year wait, even though their campaign stopped short of the final.

This report covers the completed semi-final on 28 September, a separate stage from the earlier quarter-final qualification story. Opponent names and scores follow today’s result reports.

Reset and prepare for Europe

Thinaah told Bernama that the pair planned about a week at home before preparing for tournaments in Denmark and France. Subsequent participation remains subject to player and tournament updates.

The MPP88.com cover is an original AI-generated badminton illustration, not a photograph of the players or the match. This is sports reporting, not betting advice.

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