WHILE acknowledging they still have a long way to go, women's doubles Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah would like to end the year on a high.
Having finally broken into the world's top 10 this month, the 2021 Swiss Open champions now hope to move up a few more rungs by the end of the year.
After reaching their maiden Super 500 semi-finals last week at the Thailand Open in Bangkok, Pearly-Thinaah believe they have what it takes to go further.
"We are very happy to break into the top 10, but this is just the beginning for us. We want to achieve so much more," Thinaah told Timesport.
"We hope that we can make it into the top eight by the end of this year; better still if top six, but we need to stay focused on taking things one step at a time. More crucially, we need to solidify our game as a pair," she added.
Pearly-Thinaah were undefeated at the recent Uber Cup in Bangkok.
Malaysia failed to clear the group stage, finishing third after losses to Denmark and Thailand and one win against Egypt.
Thinaah admitted that it was also important to manage their physical condition given the hectic calendar year.
"It has been quite difficult, but we have to get used to playing top quality badminton in back-to-back tournaments.
"That is why we need a strong support team to keep us in shape. We are happy to be where we are, but we won't stop here.
"As a top-10 pair, our game will be monitored by rivals. We cannot remain stagnant," she said.
They will next compete at the Indonesia Masters on June 7-12.