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Malaysia's women's doubles pair, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, have climbed to the top of the World Tour Finals rankings for the first time
The pair currently sit on 104,860 points, just ahead of China's Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, who are second with 103,150 points, a margin of 1,710 points.
The World Tour Finals ranking counts only points accumulated from World Tour events, and is separate from the official world rankings.
However, on the official world rankings, Pearly-Thinaah remain second with 91,316 points, while Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning still hold the No. 1 spot with 110,884 points.
Reaching the top of the Tour standings is seen as a major boost for the Malaysian duo as they look to close the gap on the world No. 1 spot.
Pearly and Thinaah will next compete at the Japan Masters in Kumamoto, starting 11 November, followed by the Australian Open from 18 to 23 November
They enter both tournaments as the top seeds, with Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning opting to skip the events.
The pair will also be aiming for a breakthrough at the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou from 17 to 21 December. They have yet to progress beyond the group stage in the prestigious tournament.
Observers told The Star that topping the Tour ranking highlights the pair's consistency and strong results throughout 2025, and places them in a strong position to challenge for the world No. 1 spot in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh congratulated the duo in a Facebook post
"Tahniah kepada beregu wanita negara, Pearly Tan dan M. Thinaah atas kejayaan menduduki tangga teratas ranking World Tour Finals buat kali pertama! Kebanggaan Malaysia di pentas dunia," she wrote in Bahasa Melayu.
"Congratulations to our national women's doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, for reaching the top of the World Tour Finals rankings for the first time! A proud moment for Malaysia on the world stage!"
