Pearly-Thinaah not satisfied despite cruising into quarters [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 4 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are determined to maintain their momentum and eliminate lapses in focus as they chase a second successive World Tour title at the Malaysia Masters.
On Thursday, Thailand Open champions Pearly-Thinaah were in a class of their own as they eased past Thai pair Pichamon Phatcharaphisutsin-Nannapas Sukklad 21-13, 21-15 in the second round at the Axiata Arena.
But the pair were still left unsatisfied.
Thinaah admitted that they lost focus midway through the second game, allowing the Thai youngsters to mount a brief comeback.
Pearly-Thinaah were cruising at 8-3, only to see their lead cut to 8-7 and later levelled at 11-11 before regaining composure to seal the win.
"We still need to improve our focus, and that will be a key area for us to review," said Thinaah.
"We relaxed a bit too much when we were leading in the second game. From now on, we must show more urgency and be better prepared."
Pearly echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of staying sharp regardless of their opponents' rankings.
"No matter who we play, whether it's a top-three pair or anyone else, every match is tough," she said.
"We always remind each other to stick to our tactics and maintain close communication with our coach, whether we're leading or trailing. That's the key to staying focused."
There was some good news for the Malaysians, as one of their biggest rivals, Japan's world No. 2 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida, crashed out after a 19-21, 21-19, 21-15 defeat to Indonesia's world No. 23 Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti.
However, Pearly-Thinaah still face a potential semi-final clash against the formidable world No. 1 Chinese pair Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan, should they get past Indonesia's world No. 9 Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi in the quarter-finals on Friday.
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