KUCHING: The fairytale run ends with silver – but the noise around Malaysia’s young pearls is only growing louder.
National women’s doubles pair Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah produced another fearless display before finishing runners-up at the 2026 China Masters in Baoji City today after falling 13-21, 17-21 to Japan’s Sumire Nakade and Miyu Takahashi in the women’s doubles final.
Still, for a pair competing in their first Super 100 tournament together as a pair, the run alone already felt like a statement.
The final began at a frantic pace.
Cross-court exchanges, long rallies and sharp drives quickly turned the match into an emotionally charged affair as neither pair showed signs of backing down.
For moments, the Malaysians matched the Japanese pair point for point.
But as the opening set wore on, the experience and tactical discipline of Nakade and Takahashi slowly began taking control, forcing the young Malaysians into several costly errors before closing the first game 21-13.
The pressure only thickened from there.
Zi Yu and Noraqilah opened the second set nervously, struggling to impose the aggressive rhythm that carried them throughout the tournament.
Yet the Malaysians refused to disappear quietly.
Roaring back midway through the set, the teenage duo began piecing together momentum through aggressive drives and fast exchanges at the net, briefly threatening to swing the match back in their favour.
But just as the gap narrowed, the Japanese pair tightened their grip once more before eventually sealing the title in straight sets.
Even in defeat, however, the week still marked another breakthrough chapter for Malaysia’s rising pair.
Zi Yu – who is turning 16 this year – alongside 18-year-old Noraqilah, had already turned heads earlier this season after lifting the Yonex Estonian International title before stunning Japan’s world No.7 pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi during the Uber Cup.
Their opponents, meanwhile, arrived with significantly greater senior-level experience.
Takahashi, 23, is a former world No.22 and winner of the 2025 German Open and 2024 Vietnam Open, while 22-year-old Nakade burst onto the scene after capturing the 2026 Orléans Masters Super 300 title with Takahashi in their very first tournament together.
Today may not have delivered the ending the Malaysians wanted.
But two teenagers reaching a Super 100 final together this early in their journey already says plenty about where this partnership could be heading next.
