Pearly-Thinaah need to find a formula quickly to unsettle China's world No. 1 pair
PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah need to find a way to overcome China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning fast.
Shengshu-Tan Ning ended Pearly-Thinaah's hopes of becoming the first Malaysians to win the women's doubles title in the Japan Open after beating them 21-15, 21-14 in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium yesterday.
The world No. 3 pair have been in fine form this year but found the formidable Chinese duo hard to break down and lost in 45 minutes.
It was Shengshu-Tan Ning's second consecutive win over Pearly-Thinaah in a final after they also denied the latter in the Indonesian Open title match in Jakarta last month.
Last year, Pearly-Thinaah also faced their nemeses twice in finals and managed to win once in the Hong Kong Open but lost in the Arctic Open.
Overall, Shengshu and Tan Ning, who are only 21 and 22 respectively, now lead Pearly-Thinaah 9-3 in their head-to-head record.
On their latest defeat to the Chinese pair, Pearly told the Badminton World Federation (BWF): 'For today's (yesterday) match, our game plan didn't work. They read our game quite well.
'We couldn't overcome this and we need to learn from this match.'
Thinaah said: 'The most important thing for us is to be confident in ourselves no matter what the scores are in the match. The main thing is to be confident in what shots you want to play.
'Our confidence was affected a bit today (yesterday). Our opponents put us under a lot of pressure and it wasn't the game we wanted to play.'
With the China Open starting tomorrow in Changzhou and the World Championships coming up from Aug 25-31 in Paris, Pearly-Thinaah could face Shengshu-Tan Ning again and need to find a formula quickly to beat the pair.
In the China tourney, the Malaysians could take on Shengshu-Tan Ning if both pairs make it into the final again.
Pearly-Thinaah have vowed to not let the loss to the duo in Japan affect them too much as they look to maintain their encouraging form in China.
The pair have reached four finals this year, capturing the Thailand Open and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Masters to go with their achievements in the Indonesian and Japan Opens.
'Recently, we have been playing quite well. So, I hope this match won't affect us in the future,' said Pearly.
'The good thing is we keep communicating and supporting each other, whether we win or lose.
'We hope to keep this momentum for our next matches. We will refocus and prepare well for next week.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Tien Ci–Chiew Sien make timely breakthrough at China Open
KUALA LUMPUR: Wong Tien Ci–Lim Chiew Sien chose the right moment to deliver one of their best performances of the season, digging deep to earn a morale-boosting win in the mixed doubles opening round at the China Open today. The world No. 34 independent pair battled back from a game down to beat world No. 33 India's Rohan Kapoor–Ruthivika Shiani Gadde 25–27, 21–16, 21–14 in 64 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou. The result marked only their fourth win in 13 outings this year, making it a much-needed breakthrough for a partnership trying to rediscover their rhythm. Tien Ci–Chiew Sien had previously cleared only the first round at the German Open, Swiss Open and Malaysia Masters. What makes this win even more significant is the setting. The China Open, offering a US$2 million prize purse, is the richest tournament on the calendar outside of the season-ending World Tour Finals — and with it, brings bountiful rewards in both prize money and world ranking points. Tien Ci–Chiew Sien's progression to the last 16 guarantees them US$6,500 (RM27,500), more than triple the US$2,000 (RM8,470) they would have received had they bowed out in the first round. To illustrate the significance, a semi-final finish at a Super 500 tournament — such as the Malaysia Masters — offers US$6,650. From a rankings standpoint, the pair will lock in 5,400 points, just 550 points shy of what is awarded to runners-up at a Super 300 event. It's a timely boost as they aim to break back into the world's top 32 after slipping out of that bracket in late April. Tien Ci–Chiew Sien will next face a daunting test against Chinese top seeds Feng Yan Zhe–Huang Dong Ping, but their gutsy win today has already paid dividends. Meanwhile, national pair Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei ensured Malaysia had another representative in the second round after cruising past American duo Presley Smith–Jennie Gai 22–20, 21–12 in 35 minutes. It was Tang Jie–Ee Wei's second win over the world No. 29 pair this season, having also beaten them in straight games at the Singapore Open in May. The world No. 4 are riding a strong wave of form, having made back-to-back semi-finals at the Indonesia Open and Japan Open. They are out to improve on last year's campaign in Changzhou, where they exited in the last 16 despite having reached the semi-finals in 2023. Tang Jie-Ee Wei were initially in line for an all-Malaysian second-round clash, but that prospect was dashed after Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin fell 21–19, 21–17 to Chinese youngsters Gao Jia Xuan–Wu Meng Ying in the opening round. The defeat continued a frustrating run for Pang Ron–Su Yin, who were quarter-finalists at the same tournament last year but have struggled for consistency this season.
The Star
37 minutes ago
- The Star
Sze Fei commits to pro career with Izzuddin under coach Kok Siang
National men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani staying put as pros under coach Teo Kok Siang. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have swiftly dismissed speculation that they intend to return to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who will begin their campaign in Changzhou this week as the reigning China Open champions, stressed that they remain fully committed to their status as professional players. The rumours had suggested that the duo were planning a return to the national team to train under experienced Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. However, Sze Fei hit back, stating that they are still loyal to their current coach, Teo Kok Siang. "We wish to clarify that we are happy with our status as a professional pair and reaching the Japan Open final has further strengthened our confidence and drive to continue improve under the guidance of our coach, Teo Kok Siang. "Our relationship with BAM remains great, and we always appreciate BAM for the support shown to us throughout our stint with them. "Hope this can stop the untrue rumours out there," said Sze Fei, who posted the statement on his social media. Rejoining the national team won't be a simple move for Sze Fei-Izzuddin, given their existing sponsorship deal with Victor. Nevertheless, BAM remain open to allowing them to train alongside other players at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), although it is understood that no official request has been made by the pair so far. Sze Fei-Izzuddin officially left BAM in September last year, when they were ranked world No. 12. Since turning professional, the duo have impressed with their performances, making history by winning the China Open last year. They went on to add the Arctic Open title to their collection before finishing as runners-up at the BWF World Tour Finals in December. Just last week in Tokyo, Sze Fei-Izzuddin finished as runners-up at the Japan Open, and they will be looking to build on that momentum when they open their China Open campaign today against South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk-Ki Dong-ju in the first round.
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tang Jie-Ee Wei advance to China Open second round
NATIONAL mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei secured their spot in the second round of the China Open after a convincing win over American opponents Presley Smith-Jennie Gai in Changzhou today. The match, held at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, saw the Malaysian fourth seeds dominate with a 22-20, 21-12 victory in just 35 minutes. This marks their second straight win against the world number 29 pair, having previously defeated them at the Singapore Open in May. Tang Jie-Ee Wei, currently ranked fourth in the world, will now face China's Gao Jia Xuan-Wu Meng Ying in the next round on Thursday. Meanwhile, fellow Malaysians Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin suffered an early exit after falling 21-15, 21-16 to the same Chinese pair in another first-round clash.
