Pearly-Thinaah say world No. 2 ranking is 'just a number'
Their ranking is expected to earn them the second seeding in Paris, sparing them from a potential clash with world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China until the final.
But Thinaah remains grounded, stressing that the focus is on building consistency rather than dwelling on the supposed advantage of seeding.
"We're happy to be world No. 2, but it's just a number," said Thinaah at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on Friday.
"What's important is to improve our consistency. Being seeded doesn't guarantee anything.
"There are so many strong pairs in women's doubles now, and most are on par. We just want to keep progressing."
Still, the Malaysian pair aren't shying away from the challenge of toppling
Sheng Shu-Tan Ning, who have a commanding 9-3 head-to-head record and are favourites to win the world title.
The two pairs met recently at the Super 1000 Indonesia Open and Super 750 Japan Open, with Sheng Shu-Tan Ning coming out on top on both occasions.
Together with another strong China combination — world No. 6 Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian — they will be the pairs the Malaysians must overcome to win a first medal at the World Championships.
Thinaah admitted: "Winning against them is definitely our target. But we have to be more consistent and support each other better.
"They're aggressive and put us under a lot of pressure during matches, so we're working to overcome that. We still have a few weeks before the World Championships to improve."
She added that stronger communication between her and Pearly has been crucial in recent weeks.
"We've been discussing a lot and helping each other during matches. It has really helped our performance."
Pearly-Thinaah have been on a strong run since lifting the Super 500 Thailand Open title in May.
They followed up with a semi-final finish at the Malaysia Masters, reached the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open, and pushed Sheng Shu-Tan Ning to three games in a narrow 23-25, 21-12, 21-19 defeat in the Indonesia Open final.
However, Sheng Shu-Tan Ning reasserted their dominance with a 21-14, 21-15 straight-game win in the Japan Open final two weeks ago.
A potential final showdown in Paris is on the cards, but Pearly-Thinaah's immediate aim will be to reach the semi-finals and secure Malaysia's first women's doubles medal at the World Championships.
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