Latest news with #Matsuyama-Shida
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Unshakable trust and belief in each other the key to Pearly-Thinaah's run into final
National women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah posing after beating Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi in the quarter-final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Friday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah have attributed their strong run in the Japan Open to their unshakable trust and belief in each other. Yesterday, Pearly-Thinaah pulled off a sensational 21-13, 21-11 upset win over home favourites and bogey pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to storm into the final. The world No. 3 pair have a poor record against the world No. 2 duo, only winning once in their past 13 meetings but this time, they overturned the script by delivering arguably their best performance this year to send their rivals packing in just 36 minutes and silence the home crowd. Pearly-Thinaah played with confidence and aggression throughout and did not allow Matsuyama-Shida much room to dictate play. The stunning win propelled Pearly-Thinaah to their fourth final of the year after capturing the Thailand Open and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Open and Masters. "We communicated a lot and this really helped us in our game play and we really trust, believe in each other and support each other. I think that's more important than everything," said Pearly, in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "Both of us were more patient today (yesterday) and just focused on our game. "We didn't want to rush to get points and this helped us a lot to win." The win has given the Malaysians a huge confidence boost as they seek to crown their fine run with the title today. Pearly-Thinaah though face a formidable challenge against China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in the final. Shengshu-Tan Ning are also in top form and swept aside teammates and world No. 9 Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian 21-7, 21-16 to book their spot in the title match. Pearly-Thinaah will be seeking revenge against the Chinese duo after losing narrowly to them in the Indonesian Open final last month. Overall, Shengshu-Tan Ning hold the advantage over Pearly-Thinaah after beating them eight times in their past 11 meetings. Pearly-Thinaah's last win over the combo pair came in the Hong Kong Open final last September. Pearly-Thinaah will not be lacking in confidence though, after ending their long losing streak against Matsuyama-Shida. Their last and only win before this over the Japanese duo also came in a World Tour Super 750 tournament - the French Open in 2022. Then, Pearly-Thinaah took down Matsuyama-Shida in the last eight and went on to win the crown. Can they repeat that feat in Japan? The pair have a chance to create history by becoming the first Malaysians in the women's doubles to lift the Japan Open title. Thinaah hopes to raise her game once more with Pearly and deliver a memorable finish in the tourney. "We just want to rest well, prepare well and discuss with each other and also our coaches on how best to approach the final," said Thinaah. "We just hope to give our best tomorrow (today)."
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Pearly-Thinaah set up last four clash against Matsuyama-Shida in Japan Open
PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah have set up a semi-final clash against bogey pair and home favourites Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the Japan Open. In the last eight on Friday (July 18), Pearly-Thinaah stayed steady to beat South Korea's Jeong Na-eun-Lee Yeon-woo 21-15, 21-19 in 55 minutes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The world No. 3 pair next face a formidable task against world No. 2 Matsuyama-Shida, who came from behind to overcome another Korean duo, Kim Hye-jeong-Kong Hee-yong 19-21, 21-19, 21-18 to book their spot in the last four. Pearly-Thinaah have found the Japanese pair tough to break down, only managing to win once against the latter in their past 14 meetings. The pair's sole victory over Matsuyama-Shida so far came in the 2022 French Open in Paris, where they went on to win the title.
The Star
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Coach cautions Pearly-Thinaah to stay wary although Japan nemesis set to split
No room for relief: Japan women's doubles shuttlers Nami Matsuyama (right) and Chiharu Shida will end their partnership after the World Championships in Paris. PETALING JAYA: The end of Japanese bogey pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida's partnership should be a positive news for women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah but coach Rosman Razak is not celebrating. World No. 3 Pearly-Thinaah have found Matsuyama-Shida a tough nut to crack, only winning once in their past 14 meetings against the latter. The world No. 2 duo though will not be tormenting the Malaysians together much longer after announcing their decision to part ways after the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris. Rosman though does not believe Pearly-Thinaah will benefit much from their rivals' split as Matsuyama-Shida could still provide a stern challenge for his charges with different partners. 'I don't see a big advantage for Pearly-Thinaah in tournaments just because Matsuyama-Shida are going to split up,' said Rosman. 'They will likely still give us problems with different partners. 'Other countries can afford to split their top pairs because they have many strong players to form new partnerships. 'But it's not the same for us. We only have Pearly-Thinaah currently and they are an open book for our rivals as they know we will not split our pair and try out different partnerships. So, everyone will always try to beat our pair. 'So, it's better for us to focus on ourselves instead of looking at external things that are not in our control.' Rosman is also wary of the threat posed by Matsuyama-Shida, who will be keen to end their partnership on a high, starting with their home Open which gets underway on Tuesday in Tokyo. The duo will also compete in the China Open from July 22-27 in Changzhou before their last outing together in the world meet. 'Matsuyama-Shida will be out to do well in their last three tournaments together,' said Rosman. 'As a coach, I want my players to beat every opponent, not only this pair. We cannot afford to just focus on one pair as others are also strong.' In the Japan Open, Matsuyma-Shida and Pearly-Thinaah, who are the second and third seeds respectively could clash in the semi-finals. In the first round, the home favourites will play teammates Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara while the Malaysians will face Bulgarian sisters Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva.
New Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
No cakewalk for Pearly-Thinaah despite Matsuyama-Shida parting ways
KUALA LUMPUR: The impending split of Japan's world No. 2 pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida after the World Championships next month offers no real advantage to Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in their pursuit of major titles. National women's doubles coach Rosman Razak warned that despite Matsuyama-Shida being a long-time nemeses — Pearly-Thinaah have lost 13 of 14 meetings against them — the Malaysians face a broader threat on the world stage. Their sole victory over the Japanese pair came in the 2022 French Open quarter-finals, a run that saw them clinch their maiden Super 750 crown, still their biggest success on the World Tour. "We can't just focus on one pair in women's doubles," said Rosman. "Every top pair has been tough for Pearly-Thinaah. Right now, they're an open book, and rivals are constantly trying to exploit that. "Even if Matsuyama-Shida part ways, it doesn't automatically help us. Our priority must be improving ourselves." Rosman also pointed to the lack of depth in the women's doubles department as a limiting factor. "We only have one world-class pair. Other countries can shuffle players and test new combinations. We don't have that luxury. All attention is on Pearly-Thinaah, and they must be ready for any challenge." He also dismissed the notion that the retirement of Olympic champion Chen Qing Chen after the Paris Games last year had open doors for Pearly-Thinaah. Qing Chen won the Olympic gold medal with Jia Yi Fan last year. "China are still strong. They've got world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning and world No. 5 Li Yi Jing-Luo Xu Min," said Rosman. "Even Yi Fan has made it back to world No. 9 with Zhang Shu Xian, and they've already beaten Pearly-Thinaah in three of four meetings." Rosman stressed that Japan will likely unearth new top pairs once Matsuyama-Shida go their separate ways. "We can't take anything for granted. I want Pearly-Thinaah to be prepared to beat anyone — Matsuyama-Shida or others — in the Japan Open and beyond. The focus must stay on our own progress." Pearly-Thinaah, who recently signed a new four-year contract with the BA of Malaysia (BAM), are expected to meet Matsuyama-Shida in the semi-finals of the Japan Open next week.
