Pearly-Thinaah lacked fire in Japan Open final, says Rexy
The world No. 3 missed out on becoming the first Malaysian women's doubles champions at the tournament, falling 21-15, 21-14 to Chinese world No. 1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
According to Rexy, the defeat was down to a mix of Pearly-Thinaah's inconsistency and the Chinese pair's flawless tactical execution.
"It was the complete opposite of how Pearly-Thinaah played in the semi-finals against Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama," said Rexy.
"The Chinese didn't rush. They built momentum patiently and followed their game plan to perfection, striking at the right moments."
In Saturday's semi-final, Pearly-Thinaah had produced a near-flawless display to defeat home favourites and world No. 2 Shida-Matsuyama 21-13, 21-11, breaking a long-standing jinx, having previously lost 13 of their 14 encounters.
But they couldn't replicate that form in the final.
Rexy praised the Chinese pair's tactical discipline, especially Tan Ning's dominance at the net.
"They dragged Pearly-Thinaah away from the net and took control up front, making it very uncomfortable for the Malaysian girls," he told Bernama.
"We have to give the Chinese pair credit, they played really well, especially Tan Ning."
Sunday's loss marked Pearly-Thinaah's ninth defeat in 12 meetings against the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallists.
The Malaysians still took home US$33,250 (RM141,000) for their runners-up finish, while the champions pocketed US$70,300 (RM298,000).
Pearly-Thinaah matched the feat of Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, who were runners-up at the 2008 edition.
Despite the defeat, it has been a strong season for the 2022 Commonwealth Games champions, who claimed the Thailand Open title in May and were runners-up at the Indonesia Masters in January.
They now turn their focus to the China Open, which starts on Tuesday in Changzhou.
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