[Photos] Shuttles, Stars, And A RM2.1M Showdown: PERODUA Malaysia Masters Serves Up Its Biggest Edition Yet
The smoke hasn’t even cleared from their explosive Thailand Open victory, but Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah are already set to light up Axiata Arena at this week’s Perodua Malaysia Masters 2025.
Fresh off their first title this season, Malaysia’s dynamic duo is bringing their A-game home at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil—contract drama be damned.
This year’s Masters isn’t playing small. Perodua, backing the tournament for the seventh time, has helped pump up the prize pool to a jaw-dropping RM2.1 million (USD475,500), up from last year’s RM1.85 million.
Even if you crash out in the Round of 16, you’re still walking away with enough to put a down payment on a new car—RM7,164 for singles players and RM7,676 for doubles pairs.
But let’s talk about the real money. Champions in the doubles categories will be laughing all the way to the bank with RM161,699, while singles winners can pocket a cool RM153,515.
Singles players who make it to the semifinals will pocket RM29,688, and doubles pairs get RM28,665, while runner-ups across all categories will console themselves with a hefty RM77,804.
Fresh Champions, Familiar Ground
“We’re just focusing on the tournament,” says Thinaah, brushing off questions about their unsigned Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) contracts like a seasoned pro swatting away a weak serve.
The world No. 4 pair is letting their rackets do the talking, having just schooled South Korea’s Jeong Na Eun-Lee Yeon Woo in straight sets in Bangkok last weekend.
Meanwhile, BAM’s Secretary-General Datuk Kenny Goh is playing it cool on the contract situation with Pearly-Thinaah.
“Be patient,” he says, probably hoping their recent victory will ease the tension around the negotiating table.
The Axiata Arena will be a pressure cooker of talent from 20-25 May, featuring world-class acts like China’s 2022 Asian Games gold medalist Li Shi Feng, China’s leading women’s singles shuttler Wang Zhiyi, top Indian singles player HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu, Danish men’s doubles team Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei and Japan’s Chiharu Shida, currently ranked 2nd in the BWF women’s doubles rankings with Nami Matsuyama.
Our other golden pair, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, fresh from their own Thai triumph, will also be gunning for glory.
Unfortunately, Lee Zii Jia, Malaysia’s Olympic bronze medalist, Asian champion, and All England champion, will miss the 2025 Perodua Malaysia Masters due to an incomplete recovery from a right ankle ligament injury.
Fan Power Meets Prize Money
With thousands of Malaysian fans expected to pack the arena, the temperature’s set to rise in Bukit Jalil.
As Pearly puts it, they’re “excited to play on home ground”—and with these prize money figures floating around, who wouldn’t be?
Meanwhile, dedicated supporters have already started camping out at Bukit Bintang hotels where the international contingent is staying, hoping to catch glimpses of their favourite shuttlers during their downtime.
Adding to the nostalgia, familiar faces will grace the coaches’ corner—former Malaysian star Tan Boon Heong now guides Hong Kong’s doubles squad, Wong Choong Hann leads Hong Kong’s charge as their singles head coach, and Ipoh-born Lee Wan Wah is Japan’s men’s doubles badminton head coach.
Truly, the stage is set for six days of world-class badminton in this Super 500 tournament.
Whether you’re a die-hard shuttle fan or just someone who enjoys watching local heroes crush it on home turf, this is one show you won’t want to miss.
Today’s (19 May) training sessions at Axiata Arena already gave fans a taste of what’s to come, with players testing out the courts and adjusting to the arena’s conditions.
Game on.
