Pearly Tan and other talented Southeast Asian badminton players smashing their way up

By Natasha Joibi

2023 has been nothing short of awesome for Malaysian shuttler Pearly Tan.

From scoring a new Guinness World Record for the fastest female badminton smash to winning an epic 211-shot rally at the Malaysia Masters in May, Tan, 23, and her doubles partner M. Thinaah, 25, have captivated the badminton world.

But this was no overnight success. The terrific two have been establishing themselves as a force on the court for a while now, with wins at the Swiss and French Open (firsts for a Malaysian women's pair) and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games among their achievements.

Also, as fans of the sport will tell you, Tan and Thinaah aren't the only ones turning the sporting world's gaze Southeast Asia's way with their on-court exploits.

Many more young stars are proving that the region is still very much the badminton hotbed.

Here's a look at just a few of them.

Loh Kean Yew (Singapore)

Malaysia-born Loh Kean Yew's biggest achievements on the badminton court have come in a Singapore shirt. And at 26, the 2021 world champ— Singapore's first — is just warming up and looking to score even greater things for his adopted country.

Nicknamed the "Chinese Slayer" due to having once defeated four Chinese shuttlers, including the legendary Lin Dan, in a tournament, the 26-year-old Loh's on a mission to establish his class. And a bromance with world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen appears to be already reaping dividends.

Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand)

In 2017, Kunlavut Vitidsarn became the youngest men's singles player to win the BWF World Junior Championship. Since then, he's bagged two more world junior crowns, two SEA Games gold medals, numerous international accolades, including the German, Indian and Thai Open titles and emerged as runner-up in the 2022 BWF World Championships.

The "worrying" thing for Vitidsarn's opponents, though, is that the current World No. 3 is only 22. So there's a long way yet to go for this young gun.

Yeo Jia Min (Singapore)

A former World Junior No.1 and the first Singaporean in either junior or senior categories to climb to the top of the BWF rankings, Yeo Jia Min has been steadily building her reputation.

And her growing collection of international tour titles and major scalps, including world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi, whom she beat at the 2019 World Championships, has the world sitting up and taking notice.

Still only 24, this trailblazer certainly has a bright future ahead of her. And she's taking it all, both the ups and downs, in her stride.

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia)

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, a.k.a. Jorji, is considered a star on the rise.

And she's already proving her supporters right, thanks to big wins against top players and a history-making outing at the Madrid Spain Masters in 2023, which saw her smash India's P.V. Sindhu in straight sets in the final.

A former BWF World Junior Champion, Jorji, 24, has been the true leading light of Indonesian women's badminton. And while her 2020 Tokyo Olympics outing may have ended in the Round of 16, there is no disputing her class.

Jonatan Christie (Indonesia)

Leonardus Jonatan Christie, 25, is a bona fide badminton ace. A SEA Games and Asian Games gold medalist and part of Indonesia's winning 2020 Thomas Cup team, the shuttler's not looked back since bagging his first senior international title in 2013 at the tender age of 15.

But Christie also proved to be a champ off the court when he took time off from badminton in early 2021 to care for his mum, dad and brother, who'd contracted COVID-19. Brother Ivan, unfortunately, succumbed to the disease. Yet that only spurred Christie to do better, and dedicate his outing at that year's Olympics to his late sibling.

Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand)

She may be currently ranked a few rungs below compatriot Ratchanok Intanon in the BWF Women's Singles World Rankings.

But Pornpawee Chochuwong, 25, has been going from strength to strength. And ironically, it was her win against idol and former world champion Intanon in her BWF World Tour Finals debut in 2020 that really thrust her into the spotlight.

Now, with a SEA Games gold medal and two World Tour crowns under her belt, Pornpawee is eyeing moving up the rankings and of course, Olympic glory.

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia)

Aaron Chia Teng Fong, 26, and Soh Wooi Yik, 25, haven't quite regained the form that saw them emerge victorious at the 2022 World Badminton Championships. But don't discount Malaysia's first-ever world champs, who are determined to prove that there's more still to come from them.

Time will tell if they can notch yet another historic first for their country. But you can bet that the pair are looking towards the 2024 Paris Olympics and hoping to improve on the bronze they won at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

There's also next year's Thomas Cup, where the pair is expected to line up alongside compatriot Lee Zii Jia in Malaysia's bid to regain the trophy it last clinched in 1992.

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