Lee Chong Wei Salutes Historic Titles for Zi Yu-Genevie and Pearly-Thinaah

Malaysian badminton enjoyed one of its best weekends in years, and Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has been quick to celebrate it. On Saturday (Oct 17) in Cairo, Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim became Malaysia's first-ever girls' doubles world junior champions, edging Japan's Nijika Kamata and Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in the final. A day later, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah won the Denmark Open with a 21-18, 21-11 victory over Japan's Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita, the first Malaysian women's doubles title at the event since Wong Pei Tty and Chin Ee Hui triumphed in 2008.

In a social media post, Chong Wei, now chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia's performance committee, said Zi Yu and Genevie had ended a 34-year wait and shown that the country's next generation is heading in the right direction, while reminding them that the road ahead is still long. He also praised Pearly and Thinaah, saying their fighting spirit, understanding on court and confidence continue to inspire younger players.

The former world No. 1 also offered encouragement to the Malaysian players who fell short of their goals last week, urging them to keep working as the national squad builds momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

Source: The Star