Paris dream within reach
PETALING JAYA: The dream of winning a historic medal in the women's doubles in the World Championships is looking closer to a reality for in-form shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
No Malaysian women's pair have ever managed to capture a medal in the world meet but Pearly-Thinaah seem to be the country's best bet to finally end the elusive wait in the prestigious tourney this year which will be held just a month from now from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
The world No. 3 duo have come the closest after former world No. 1 Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty when they reached the quarter-finals in the last edition in 2023 but fell to a heartbreaking defeat to China's Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu in Copenhagen.
Eei Hui-Pei Tty also reached the last eight in 2007 at home in Kuala Lumpur but were denied by another Chinese duo Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen.
Reaching the semi-finals will guarantee at least a bronze and Pearly-Thinaah are heading in the right direction to achieve the feat.
The duo have been in fine form this year and made it into the finals in their last two tournaments – the Indonesian Open last month and Japan Open on Sunday.
Although Pearly-Thinaah missed out on the titles after going down to China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in both finals, they look ready to match the world's top pairs in the biggest tournaments and are shaping up nicely for the world meet.
In the Indonesian tourney, Pearly-Thinaah reached their maiden World Tour Super 1000 final and followed it up in Japan by progressing into their first Super 750 title match since capturing the French Open crown in 2022.
The pair notably secured a morale-boosting win over home favourites and world No. 2 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the last four of the Japan tourney.
Pearly-Thinaah have also become a more consistent pair this year, triumphing in the Thailand Open in May and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Masters in January.
Women's doubles coach Rosman Razak is happy with his charges' progress ahead of the world meet and hopes the pair can maintain their form in the China Open which starts today in Changzhou to build momentum for the showpiece event in Paris.
'Although Pearly-Thinaah missed out on the title, they played quite well in the Japan Open,' said Rosman.
'They are progressing well and they want to remain positive for this week's China Open. The most important is their recovery process ahead of this tournament.'
Meanwhile, doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes another podium finish in China is possible for Pearly-Thinaah.
'It's good to see that Pearly-Thinaah have become consistent by reaching finals more regularly,' said Rexy.
'Hopefully, they can finish on the podium again in China.'
Pearly-Thinaah will open their campaign in Changzhou against younger teammates Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting.
If the pair reach the semi-finals, they could lock horns with Matsuyama-Shida again.
The other Malaysians in action in the women's doubles are Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee, who should have little trouble getting past Poland's Paulina Hankiewicz-Kornelia Marczak in the first round.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Aaron-Wooi Yik have 1,000 reasons to win China Open title
KUALA LUMPUR: What a super turnaround by Malaysia's men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik. From falling in the first round of their last two tournaments — the Indonesia Open and Japan Open — they have stormed into the China Open final this week. What a reversal of fortune. And Aaron-Wooi Yik couldn't have asked for a better tournament final — the China Open is a Super 1000 event, the highest tier in the World Tour. World No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik crushed Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty of India 21-13, 21-17 in just 42 minutes in the semi-final at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Sunday. Aaron-Wooi Yik, who finished second in five previous finals of Super 1000 tournaments, including the 2023 China Open, now look good to land their first Super 1000 crown on Sunday. It seems coach Herry IP's "no lifting" play is starting to bear fruits as Aaron-Wooi Yik now show better aggression. "It was a very good performance after the last two early exits (Indonesia and Japan Opens), and we are gradually back on track," said Aaron. "We used to play against them (Satwik-Chirag) quite regularly. We don't fear them and were able to give our best on the court." The win, which stretched their head-to-head record against the Indian pair to 11-3, underlined Aaron-Wooi Yik's ability to switch gears effectively. The former world champions and Olympic bronze medallists look imposing in the final against Indonesian scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, However, Fajar-Shohibul, playing in just their second tournament together, look dangerous as they stunned China's world No. 6 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang 21-19, 21-17 in the last four. However, Aaron-Wooi Yik will be eyeing their fourth title of the year in five finals, after capturing the Asia Championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open earlier. Their triumph compensated for women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's semi-final exit in the day earlier. "We are satisfied with our gameplay and we utilised the tactics from our coaches. We have to keep going with this confidence," said Wooi Yik. "They (Fajar-Shohibul) are a scratch pair and it's not going to be easy. We're banking on our coaches to come up with a good game plan for us. "They have almost the same playing style as us, and it will come down to who is braver at the crucial stages," concluded Aaron.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
FAM protests upside down Jalur Gemilang incident in Jakarta
THE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has lodged an official protest with the Asian Football Federation (AFF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) following the disrespectful display of the Jalur Gemilang by Indonesian fans. The incident occurred during the ASEAN Under-23 Cup match in Jakarta earlier this week. FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman confirmed the protest was submitted two days ago. 'We have sent a protest to the AFF and a copy to the AFC. This matter has caused discomfort for supporters and Malaysians,' he said. The viral images showed the Malaysian flag held upside down and defaced by Indonesian supporters at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Noor Azman added that FAM is awaiting an official response from both AFF and AFC regarding potential disciplinary action against those involved or the tournament organisers. In related news, FAM confirmed that Bukit Jalil National Stadium will host Harimau Malaya's upcoming international friendlies against Singapore and Palestine in September. These matches will serve as crucial preparation ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in October. - Bernama
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Aaron-Wooi Yik power into China Open final
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik continued their fine run in the China Open by smashing into the final. Aaron-Wooi Yik played brilliantly to beat India's 2022 Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty 21-13, 21-17 in the last four at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Saturday (July 26). The world No. 2 pair now have an opportunity to capture their first World Tour Super 1000 title when they take on Indonesia's scratch pair Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri in the title match on Sunday (July 27). Fajar-Shohibul were also on top form when they pulled off a stunning 21-19, 21-17 win over home favourites and Paris Olympics silver medallists Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the other semi-final match.
