
Learn from what happened to Pearly-Thinaah
World No. 3 Tang Jie-Ee Wei briefly split earlier this year before reuniting at the Singapore Open in June.
Since then, they've made three semi-final appearances — at the Indonesia Open, Japan Open and Macau Open — and reached the quarter-finals of the China Open.
Ahead of the World Championships in Paris (Aug 26-Sept 1), Rexy has urged them to rebuild trust and chemistry — much like world No. 2 Pearly and Thinaah, who never split despite going through a rocky patch of their own.
Pearly-Thinaah's relationship hit choppy waters in late 2023 when the pair were visibly not communicating during a match.
But they ironed out their differences and climbed to a career-best No. 2 ranking, reaching seven World Tour finals in the past 12 months and claiming two titles.
"Pearly-Thinaah also had their problems," said Rexy.
"Before this, Pearly didn't seem to accept Thinaah's unforced errors. But now she's learned to live with them — and look at their consistency today.
"It's about acceptance. Players are human. You can't just press a button and expect perfection.
"If you want to succeed as a pair, you must accept your partner's weaknesses and help them through the tough moments."
Rexy said Tang Jie-Ee Wei still show signs of mental fragility under pressure — particularly when matches don't go their way early on.
"They can play well when things are smooth, but when opponents fight back or it gets tight, you can see panic creeping in," he said.
"This isn't about technique. It's mindset. They need to ask themselves — what are we here for? Are we aligned? Are we ready to fight as a team?"
The Indonesian-born coach, known for his straight-talking style, added that the coaching staff can only do so much with tactics and drills — the rest is up to the players.
"You can't fix this by working on net play or rotation drills," he said.
"The key lies in their thinking."They need to fully accept each other and be in sync — otherwise all their preparation won't mean much."
In Paris, Malaysian shuttlers will be gunning for a second world title following Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's historic men's doubles victory in Tokyo in 2022.
Malaysia have never won a medal in the women's doubles.
The last time Malaysia reached the mixed doubles podium was in 2006, when Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty claimed bronze in Madrid.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
'If we meet them, we'll whack them'
KUALA LUMPUR: Doubles ace Aaron Chia has cheekily thrown down the gauntlet to world No. 22 Wan Arif Junaidi–Yap Roy King over a possible third-round showdown at the Paris World Championships from Aug 25-31. "Ask them how they'll fare if they meet us in the third round?", interjected a grinning Aaron as he passed by Arif and Roy King who were being interviewed by reporters at the Academy Badminton Malaysia today. Arif, who won the recent Macau Open with Roy King, didn't back down and retorted: "If we meet them, we'll whack them." Aaron's challenge is also a strong indication that both pairs are quietly confident of setting up an all-Malaysia third-round clash in Paris. However, Arif doesn't want to lose focus on the tough first-round clash against Japan's world No. 34 Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura, and a possible second-round meeting with Thailand's world No. 12 Dechapol Puavaranukroh–Kittinupong Kedren. "We have tough opponents in the earlier rounds, so we want to clear those hurdles first before thinking about playing Aaron–Wooi Yik," said Arif. Roy King said: 'It will be good if we can meet Aaron-Wooi Yik in the last 16, as this will confirm at least one Malaysian pair in the quarter-finals. "We have the fire in us to upset higher-ranked pairs at the World Championships." World No. 2 and second-seeded Aaron-Wooi Yik have received a first-round bye and are likely to meet either Scotland's world No. 40 Christopher Grimley-Matthew Grimley or Spain's world No. 89 Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo in the second round.


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Paris-bound Tang Jie-Ee Wei aim to make waves on the Seine
KUALA LUMPUR: A year after their memorable run to the Olympic quarter-finals in Paris, Chen Tang Jie- Toh Ee Wei are back in the French capital — this time aiming for a medal on a road that promises far more than a stroll down the Seine. The world No. 4 have been handed a potentially tricky path to the final following the draw released on Wednesday. Seeded fourth and quarter-finalists on their debut in Copenhagen in 2023, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will enjoy a first-round bye. They will open their campaign in the second round possibly against India's Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde. The world No. 33 Indians should pose little trouble on paper, but as the first outing in Paris, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be eager to shake off any rust quickly. It will also be the first meeting between the two pairs. The first real test is expected in the last 16 against Indonesia's world No. 11 Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu. The Malaysians have beaten them twice this year — at the Indonesia Masters in January and Japan Open last month. However, the young Indonesians have made significant strides, lifting the Taiwan Open title in June and reaching the semi-finals of both the Asia Championships and China Open. If they clear that hurdle, a quarter-final showdown looms with Hong Kong veterans Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet. The Hong Kong pair, now under the guidance of former Malaysian international Jeremy Gan, have met Tang Jie-Ee Wei only once, with the Malaysians winning at the 2023 Arctic Open. Chun Man-Ying Suet have been rejuvenated since reuniting in April, stunning the continent's elite by winning the Asia Championships. They will be looking to add to their two World Championships' bronzes from 2018 and 2021. Reaching the semi-finals would likely mean a clash with top seeds Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping. The in-form Chinese pair have captured eight titles in their last 11 tournaments they started. While Tang Jie-Ee Wei memorably beat them in the Paris Olympics group stage, the Chinese duo still lead their head-to-head 6-2. Yan Zhe-Dong Ping will also be out to make amends for their quarter-final exit at the Games 12 months ago. National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto believes the fourth seeding offers a crucial edge. "A seeding certainly gives a bigger chance," said Nova. "With this position, in the quarter-finals they won't meet the top pairs, especially the Chinese, so the minimum target should be a medal — at least the semi-finals." Malaysia have only ever won one mixed doubles medal in the history of the World Championships. "If Tang Jie-Ee Wei succeed, it will be historic," Nova added. "We've even joked with friends, hoping that mixed doubles luck will be on our side at this World Championships." If successful, Tang Jie-Ee Wei would become just the second Malaysian mixed doubles pair to reach the podium after Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty's bronze in 2006.


New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
What Jun Hao needs to do to 'stay alive' in Paris
KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen sees a window of opportunity for Leong Jun Hao at the Paris World Championships from Aug 25–31 despite the shuttler facing some big names in the early rounds. Debutant Jun Hao, who is ranked world No. 25, will potentially meet Japan's Kenta Nishimoto (No. 14) and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen (No. 6) in difficult second and third round matches respectively. The former Asian Junior champion has beaten several world top 10 players, including Tien Chen (head-to-head 1-1). Against Nishimoto, it's 3-2. Jun Hao, 26, stands a fighting chance of making it to the quarter-finals and put himself in contention for a medal. "Jun Hao has a positive draw, and there are chances (of good results) if he performs at his highest level and stays consistent every day (in Paris)," said Jonassen. "For now, we need to focus on the next 10 days and get our final preparations done." Jun Hao should clear the first round against Switzerland's world No. 147 Tobias Kuenzi. However, much will depend on his ability to string together more than one big win after that, as his inconsistency has stymied his chances of achieving better results. Jun Hao defeated Nishimoto in the first round of the China Open last month, but lost to Thailand's world No. 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the second. At the Singapore Open, he overcame Indonesia's world No. 5 Jonatan Christie in the second round but lost to Kunlavut in the last eight. At the India Open in January, Jun Hao started well by toppling China's world No. 4 Li Shi Feng, but was beaten by China's world No. 16 Weng Hong Yang next. So it will be important for Jun Hao to "show up in every round", as pointed out by Jonassen, in order to make a strong impact in Paris. Jonassen, who led the Danish team at the Olympics last year, is well aware of the court conditions at the Adidas Arena in Paris. "As for the court conditions, I believe we have a good understanding after last year's Olympics in terms of what to expect," added Jonassen. Though Jun Hao didn't qualify for the Paris Olympics, he had competed in the Adidas Arena at the French Open earlier.