KUALA LUMPUR: National No. 1 women's pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah consolidated their position in the top 10, climbing one spot to No. 8 in the latest world rankings released today.
Pearly-Thinaah's rise was bolstered by their runners-up finish at the Korea Open last Sunday, marking their best ranking in 16 months.
The last time they were ranked in the world's top eight was in April last year.
Things have certainly been looking up for Pearly-Thinaah since their commendable fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics last month.
They made history by becoming the first Malaysian women's pair to reach the semi-finals, although they fell short in the bronze medal playoff.
Buoyed by their strong performances, Pearly-Thinaah will undoubtedly aim to surpass their previous best ranking of world No. 5, which they briefly held in February last year.
They will have a chance to do so as they return to action next week at the Hong Kong Open, followed by the China Open.
Meanwhile, there was no movement for Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who remain at No. 9 in the mixed doubles rankings despite their career-best triumph at the Korea Open last week.
Although they earned significant points, they still have some ground to cover to catch up to Hong Kong's Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet, who currently occupy the eighth spot.
Interestingly, Tang Jie-Ee Wei have been holding onto their No. 9 position since November last year.
Lee Zii Jia remains Malaysia's top-ranked men's singles shuttler at world No. 4, while Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are ranked No. 3 in the men's doubles. Goh Jin Wei is ranked No. 31 in the women's singles.