Pearly responds to critics after tough four weeks together with Thinaah
Malaysia's women's doubles Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah.
PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttler Pearly Tan responded to critics after her maiden podium finish with M. Thinaah at the Indonesian Open.
World No. 4 Pearly-Thinaah have come under scrutiny due to an ongoing unresolved contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) but instead of reacting to it, they have decided to allow results do the talking.
Pearly opened up on the challenges she and Thinaah went through via a heartfelt social media post.
"This month, we walked into this journey with the weight of expectations and noise of criticism during our tournaments," said Pearly.
"Not everything that was said about us was true but we chose not to respond with words. Instead, we responded with hard work, resilience and unity.
The duo's contract with BAM expired last December but have yet to sign new deals and there have been rumours that they could leave BAM to turn independent but Pearly-Thinaah had remained mum on their contract situation as they navigated the gruelling four weeks of non-stop tournaments.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding their futures in BAM and the constant speculation, Pearly-Thinaah have remained focused on court and reached the final in the Indonesian tourney before narrowly going down 25-23, 12-21, 19-21 to China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Sunday (June 8).
The pair also captured the Thailand Open last month and did not let their intensity drop, reaching the last four in the Malaysian Masters and the quarter-finals in the Singapore Open after that before their stunning run in Indonesia.
"It wasn't easy but we stood our ground, held on to each other and gave it everything we had. We didn't win the title but we found something even more powerful - strength, belief and heart.
"Thank you to those who stood by us. We will keep this spirit going and see you guys in the next tour."
Pearly also went on to thank the support team behind her and Thinaah.
"It's been a crazy roller coaster month for both of us, testing our minds, staying calm through the chaos and pushing through even when we were tired," said Pearly.
"Honestly, we couldn't have done it without our amazing support team behind us who were there for us every step of the way.
"They helped us recover, stay strong and keep going on the court. Truly, we couldn't have come this far without all of you."
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KUALA LUMPUR: Four titles in just three consecutive weeks — a feat never before achieved by Malaysian badminton on the World Tour. It all began with world No. 3 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and world No. 4 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, who bagged the men's and women's doubles titles at the Super 500 Thailand Open four weeks ago. Then came world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who stunned Aaron-Wooi Yik to claim the Super 500 Malaysia Masters. Aaron-Wooi Yik bounced back in style to secure their second World Tour crown at the Super 750 Singapore Open, bringing Malaysia's tally to four titles. Pearly-Thinaah narrowly missed out on a fifth, going down in a thrilling final to China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning at the Indonesia Open on Sunday. Wei Chong-Kai Wun also impressed with a semi-final finish. The relentless four-week run demanded immense physical and mental endurance, and Malaysia's doubles pairs delivered in style. The man behind the scenes is national men's doubles coach Herry IP — a seasoned tactician with a decorated past coaching Indonesia's best. Even he admits this past month has exceeded all expectations. Herry had earlier described the All England disaster in March — when all BAM men's pairs crashed out in the first round — as his lowest point. But the "Magician" didn't stay down for long. He masterminded a revival starting with Aaron-Wooi Yik's victory at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in April — a non-World Tour event. "Three titles from the men's doubles — this is beyond what I imagined," said Herry. "Aaron-Wooi Yik showed incredible resilience, especially in Singapore. Wei Chong-Kai Wun are progressing well, physically and mentally. It's a positive sign for all our players. "They've started playing like my former Indonesian pairs. We've introduced a similar training programme and they're adapting brilliantly." The success is reflected in the world rankings too. Aaron-Wooi Yik are set to rise to world No. 2 on Tuesday, while Malaysian independent duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will become world No. 1 — a first for the country. Pearly-Thinaah will also climb one spot to world No. 3 in the women's doubles. Malaysia won only eight titles (Super 500 level and above) in the whole of 2024. But in 2025, they already have six, including the BAC, and there's more to come. The World Tour resumes with the Japan Open from July 15–20, and momentum is firmly on Malaysia's side.
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Pearly responds to critics after tough four weeks together with Thinaah
Malaysia's women's doubles Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah. PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttler Pearly Tan responded to critics after her maiden podium finish with M. Thinaah at the Indonesian Open. World No. 4 Pearly-Thinaah have come under scrutiny due to an ongoing unresolved contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) but instead of reacting to it, they have decided to allow results do the talking. Pearly opened up on the challenges she and Thinaah went through via a heartfelt social media post. "This month, we walked into this journey with the weight of expectations and noise of criticism during our tournaments," said Pearly. "Not everything that was said about us was true but we chose not to respond with words. Instead, we responded with hard work, resilience and unity. The duo's contract with BAM expired last December but have yet to sign new deals and there have been rumours that they could leave BAM to turn independent but Pearly-Thinaah had remained mum on their contract situation as they navigated the gruelling four weeks of non-stop tournaments. Despite the uncertainty surrounding their futures in BAM and the constant speculation, Pearly-Thinaah have remained focused on court and reached the final in the Indonesian tourney before narrowly going down 25-23, 12-21, 19-21 to China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Sunday (June 8). The pair also captured the Thailand Open last month and did not let their intensity drop, reaching the last four in the Malaysian Masters and the quarter-finals in the Singapore Open after that before their stunning run in Indonesia. "It wasn't easy but we stood our ground, held on to each other and gave it everything we had. We didn't win the title but we found something even more powerful - strength, belief and heart. "Thank you to those who stood by us. We will keep this spirit going and see you guys in the next tour." Pearly also went on to thank the support team behind her and Thinaah. "It's been a crazy roller coaster month for both of us, testing our minds, staying calm through the chaos and pushing through even when we were tired," said Pearly. "Honestly, we couldn't have done it without our amazing support team behind us who were there for us every step of the way. "They helped us recover, stay strong and keep going on the court. Truly, we couldn't have come this far without all of you."
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KUALA LUMPUR: Women's doubles player Pearly Tan took to social media to reflect on how she and M. Thinaah had coped with expectations and criticism to complete a highly satisfying four-week outing on the World Tour. The world No. 4 women's doubles pair wrapped up their hectic schedule with a runners-up finish at the Super 1000 Indonesia Open on Sunday, pushing China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning to the limit before narrowly going down 23-25, 21-12, 21-19. Prior to that, Pearly-Thinaah captured the Thailand Open title , reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters and made the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open. Taking to Instagram, Pearly reflected on the emotional and physical toll of their packed schedule. "Finally wrapped up all four tournaments in four weeks. It's been a crazy rollercoaster ride for both of us - testing our minds, staying calm through the chaos, and pushing through even when we were tired," she wrote. "We walked into this journey with the weight of expectations and the noise of criticism during tournaments. "Not everything that was said about us was true, but we chose not to respond with words. Instead, we responded with hard work, resilience and unity. "It wasn't easy, but we stood our ground, held on to each other and gave it everything we had. "We didn't win the title, but we found something even more powerful - strength, belief and heart." While Pearly didn't name specifics, the ongoing contract wrangle with the BA of Malaysia (BAM) had likely added to the pressure. The pair have yet to sign a new deal amid speculation they could go independent. Pearly-Thinaah have kept a dignified silence on the issue, choosing instead to stay focused on court. Their performance in Jakarta, nearly toppling the world No. 1 pair, was arguably their finest to date. Pearly also paid tribute to the support team that travelled with them, crediting them for keeping the pair fit and injury-free during the gruelling schedule. "Honestly, we couldn't have done it without the amazing support team behind us, who were there for us every step of the way. "They helped us recover, stay strong and keep going on the court. Without all of you, truly, we couldn't have done it. "Thank you to those who stood by us. We'll keep this spirit going and see you on the next tour." Their efforts will be officially recognised on Tuesday, when they are expected to climb to a career-high world No. 3 in the world rankings. Pearly-Thinaah are expected to meet BAM officials this week to finally decide whether they will stay with the national setup or branch out on their own.
