
The two reasons behind Pearly-Thinaah's smashing run
KUALA LUMPUR: What are the factors that led to Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's remarkable run on the World Tour over the last four weeks?
National women's doubles head coach Rosman Razak has offered two reasons: tactical changes and great on court communication.
Pearly-Thinaah won the Thailand Open, reached the Malaysia Masters semi-finals and Singapore Open quarter-finals. And on Sunday, they nearly toppled China's mighty Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning in the Indonesia Open final.
They lost 23-25, 21-12, 21-19 in 87 minutes, but Pearly-Thinaah had the world No. 1 against the ropes, and could have delivered the knockout blow.
The Jakarta result was significant for Pearly-Thinnah as it was their first Super 1000 final, in a World Tour major event. In fact, their world ranking is set to rise a rung, to No. 3 after this, the highest in their careers.
The tactical changes mentioned by Rosman are that Pearly-Thinaah's game has become more aggressive amid a more positive mindset.
"There have been tactical changes in their play, and their excellent communication with each other on court have helped them come out of pressure cooker situations," said Rosman.
"We have been trying new tactics and they have brought positive outcome. But we need to fine tune them."
But off court, Pearly-Thinaah have another issue to deal with — their protracted contract negotiation with the BA of Malaysia (BAM). They may not want to sign a contract extension with the national association but turn professional instead.
Under Rosman, the pair have been showing progress, but to remain under him, they will have to stay with BAM.
Pearly-Thinaah are expected to meet BAM's top management next week for contract talks.
Hashtags

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


The Star
20 minutes ago
- The Star
Two pairs in LA Olympics a possibility but Rexy stays wary of long road ahead
Still at the top: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani reached No. 1 in the world last month. PETALING JAYA: The more the merrier. With world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7) and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi (No. 24) making their marks in the men's doubles, there is a good chance for Malaysia to have a maximum of two pairs in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The prospect is thrilling but the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky wants the boys to be on their toes as a lot of things can change in the next three years. 'Now, we have two pairs in the top two rankings in the world. We also have Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Arif-Roy King behind them,' said Rexy. 'Our players' rise is good as it gives them confidence and will put pressure on other countries. 'We hope to have four pairs in the world's top four before the Olympics in 2028. There's a good chance for four pairs to fight for the two spots to qualify for the Olympics.' A country is allowed a maximum of two pairs in the showpiece event as long as both pairs are ranked in the world's top eight when the qualifying period ends. Rexy acknowledged that the road to the Olympics is still long and wants his charges not to take their foot off the pedal as they bid to end Malaysia's wait for the elusive gold medal. 'I do feel satisfied with our players' achievements but we can't afford to rest on our laurels as there are still many tournaments left and a long way still to go for the Olympics,' said Rexy. 'We may slip up if we are satisfied now but if we stay hungry and work hard from now on, I'm confident with the support of all parties, we have a good chance to win gold in 2028. We need to work even harder after this to maintain the players' performances. At the same time, we need to keep an eye on the progress of the pairs from the other countries to stay ahead of them.' Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun have been in fine form this year while Sze Fei-Izzuddin reached No. 1 in the world last month after their good showings last year and in January. Youngsters Roy King-Arif have also shown promise since combining in 2023. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who captured the Indonesian Masters in January and Malaysian Masters last month were included in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme geared up towards the 2028 Olympics for the first time. The other shuttlers in RTG are Aaron-Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women's doubles) and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).


The Star
20 minutes ago
- The Star
Wise Jonassen taking time to name singles coach
PETALING JAYA: It has been three months but the search for a new women's singles badminton coach continues. But coaching director Kenneth Jonassen from Denmark is not fretting. Instead of rushing into it, Jonassen is looking for a versatile and experienced candidate to fill the position left vacant by Jeffer Rosobin of Indonesia, who resigned at the end of February. 'I see many potential coaches. Anybody with experience having coached here or abroad is very much appreciated,' said Jonassen. 'It's very much about working as one team all the way from senior to junior. 'I like to move the coaches around in different positions. That gives us an overall feel of unity and a stronger line-up.' Former men's singles shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, who is currently coaching in Ireland is one of the options for Jonassen. Then, there is also former All-England champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim, who is no longer coaching a club in India. 'Iskandar is an experienced coach but I can't confirm anything for now. He's somebody that for sure will be good for our line-up,' said Jonassen. 'It's the middle of the year though, meaning that other coaches are still under contract. Jonassen also believes that stability is important after the constant chopping and changing of coaches in the women's singles department over the past few years. The likes of James Chua, K. Yogendran and Jeffer have all not stayed long in the position since 2022. Of the three, only Yogendran is still in BAM and was moved to the men's singles department last October. 'I think stability is crucial. It gives the long term objective of development and you can follow a certain plan,' said Jonassen. Jonassen is determined to improve the fortunes of the women's singles with Malaysia currently struggling to produce top players in the department. World No. 49 K. Letshanaa is currently BAM's highest ranked player followed by world No. 92 Wong Ling Ching. World No. 47 independent player Goh Jin Wei is the national No. 1.


New Straits Times
13 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Badminton coach Iskandar leaving Ireland for Malaysia?
KUALA LUMPUR: Former national shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin is in the frame to fill the vacant position of national women's singles coach. BAM singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen feels that Iskandar could be a valuable addition to the national set-up. But the Dane stopped short of naming him as the frontrunner to replace Indonesian Jeffer Rosobin who resigned in February. Iskandar joined Badminton Ireland in 2021 as a sparring partner, but has transitioned into the role of singles coach. The 33-year-old said during last month's Malaysia Masters that BAM had approached him earlier this year on a coaching role. However, Iskandar remained non-committal then as his family were residing in Ireland. Jonassen acknowledged that Iskandar's experience makes him a strong candidate, but said BAM is still looking at several prospects. "I can't confirm if he's on the shortlist, but of course, he's an experienced coach, someone who would certainly be a good fit for our set-up," said Jonassen.