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Watch this incredible 211-shot badminton rally from this week's 2023 Malaysia Masters

In the second-round match of the 2023 Malaysia Masters badminton tournament this Thursday, the Malaysian Women's Doubles team of Thinaah Muralitharan and Pearly Tan led the Japanese duo of Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto 16-14 in the third and decisive set.

What happened next left the competitors, and the fans watching in the stands, breathless.

Over the course of a rally that lasted over three minutes and required 211 shots, the Malaysian duo earned perhaps the most hardfought point in badminton history. During the exchange, both teams had the advantage at various times as the crowd waited for the decisive moment. Ultimately, a well-placed drop shot from Tan proved decisive, allowing the competitors — and those in the stands — a moment to catch their breath.

You can watch the entire rally here:

211 RALLY SHOT! What a rally lah from both team! Min tengok pun berpeluh ‍ ‍ ‍ Congrats Pearly Tan/ M Thinaah mara ke peringkat suku akhir!Ikuti liputan penuh di Nadi Arena jam 7.30 Malam ini! pic.twitter.com/AVIzRkyJ9b

"Winning the rally felt like winning the match. I also thought that we won after surviving the rally," said Thinaah after the match.

"We knew we were tired, but the opponent was tired too," added Tan. "In our minds, we wanted to win that shot, so we just mentally prepared ourselves very well, and I’m so happy we won the point."

The Malaysian duo, who entered the tournament as the sixth-seeded team, won the third set 21-19 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they defeated another Japanese team — Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota — on Friday two sets to one. They will face Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong, the fifth-seeded team, in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Their three-minute rally is believed to be the longest in badminton history.