Competing on multiple fronts in any sport is a daunting task. But Malaysian badminton star Noraqilah Maisarah aims to extend her women’s doubles success to mixed doubles.

The 18-year-old is one of Malaysia’s best prospects in women’s doubles and has experienced a remarkable rise. Alongside teenager Zi Yu, the pair's stunning win against Japan’s world no.7 pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi stands as the finest. The two grabbed a famous (21-17, 12-21, 21-1) win to clinch the Uber Cup and establish themselves as upcoming stars.

Noraqilah, however, has reiterated her commitment to mixed doubles alongside Loo Bing Kun. In a recent interview with NST, she said, "At the Uber Cup there was no mixed doubles, so naturally I focused more on women's doubles.”

With her coaches' approval of the decision, she stressed her desire to compete in both mixed and women’s doubles.

"But the coaches will still send me for mixed doubles in upcoming tournaments,” Noraqilah emphasized. “I don't want to focus on just one yet.”

Speaking of Noraqilah-Bing Kun, the duo displayed their potential by winning the Swedish Open, only their third tournament after getting paired earlier this year. Currently ranked world no.143, the shuttlers also went on to secure a runners-up finish at the Singapore International Series in March. 

In the same month, however, they crashed out of the Vietnam International Challenge. Despite this setback, their quick success paints a promising picture.

Notably, this isn’t Noraqilah’s first plunge into mixed doubles. 2025 saw her paired alongside Loh Ziheng, with the two achieving notable acclaim. The two won a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Championships in India before winning the Vietnam International Series title.

In terms of experience, Noraqilah has seen both sides of the coin. While being the younger half in her on-court partnership with Bing Kun, she assumes a more veteran role with her women’s doubles partner Zi-Yu.

Elaborating on her relationship with the 15-year-old prospect, Noraqilah has acknowledged the value of her added experience and its importance in helping her teammate endure competitive pressure.

"I just try to calm her down on court. I don't get angry,” she stated. “I try to comfort her, so she doesn't panic."

With the pair set to grace the China Masters in May, comparisons have emerged featuring national legends.

Noraqilah Denies Comparison With Pearly-Thinaah

To no one’s surprise, Noraqilah’s partnership with Zi-Yu has drawn comparisons to the country’s top partnership, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah. However, the badminton prodigy was quick to shut down such talks.

“We are still far from reaching Pearly-Thinaah’s level. In terms of experience and style of play,” she told reporters at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia. “They are clearly much more mature compared to us, who are just coming up.”

The veterans won gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and silver at the World Championships. Add to that a semi-final run at the 2024 Olympics, and they stand as the most successful badminton women's doubles pair in Malaysian history.

Acknowledging their achievements, Noraqilah instead aims to improve her game and break into the world’s top 100.

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Written by

Sijo Paul

Edited by

Souvik Roy