KUALA LUMPUR, October 19 2026, Malaysian badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has congratulated World Junior champions Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim, as well as Denmark Open winners Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, for their outstanding achievements that have brought pride to the country.
The former world No. 1 also encouraged national players who fell short of victory over the past week to remain confident and continue striving for success.
“To all our Malaysian players who fought hard this week, whether you won or lost, keep your heads high and never lose confidence. Keep believing, keep fighting, and your moment will come,” he said in a social media post today.
Lee also praised men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik despite their defeat in the Denmark Open final, describing their performance as a glorious defeat.
“Keep fighting! Malaysia is behind all of you!” he added.
On Saturday, second seeds Low and Lim defeated Japan’s Nijika Kamata and Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in the girls’ doubles final at the World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt.
Their victory made them the first Malaysian pair to win the girls’ doubles title since the tournament was introduced in 1992. Low had previously reached three consecutive World Junior Championships finals with different partners, while her partnership with Lim was formed only four months ago.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also congratulated the pair, urging them to maintain their momentum and continue making Malaysia proud.
On Sunday, Tan and Thinaah defeated Japan’s Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita 21-18, 21-11 in the Denmark Open final, ending Malaysia’s 18-year wait for the women’s doubles title. The last Malaysian pair to win the event was Wong Pei Tty and Chin Eei Hui in 2008.
The victory marked Tan and Thinaah’s second title of 2026, following their triumph at the Indonesia Masters in January.
Meanwhile, Aaron and Wooi Yik reached the Denmark Open final after defeating South Korea’s world No. 1 pair, Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, 21-14, 21-18 in the semi-finals.
However, the former world champions lost 8-21, 11-21 to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in a 31-minute final.
The Denmark Open was the Malaysian pair’s first tournament since reuniting after a brief spell with different partners. They also finished runners-up at the World Championships in India in August.
-MALAYMAIL
