Latest news with #Pearly-Thinaah
The Star
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Stern China test awaits Pearly-Thinaah in semi-finals
National women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in action against China's Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian in the semi-final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Saturday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's fine form this year will be put to the test when they face home pair Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian in the China Open semi-finals today. Pearly-Thinaah booked their spot in the last four with a commanding 21-16, 21-12 win in over Japan's world No. 9 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto in just 39 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou yesterday. The world No. 3 are now just one victory away from reaching back-to-back finals after finishing runners-up in the Japan Open in Tokyo last week. World No. 7 Yifan-Shuxian though have proved to be a tough pair to get past for Pearly-Thinaah before this. The Malaysians have only beaten the Chinese duo once in their past four meetings but are hoping to continue their strong form by overcoming the latter. "Everything worked well for both of us today (yesterday)," said Thinaah in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "There were times when we were under pressure but the support that Pearly and the coaches gave really helped and we hope to continue this momentum tomorrow (today). Pearly said: "We knew their attack is quite strong, so we were well prepared with our defence. "I think we did well on this, so I'm very happy with today's (yesterday) match. "There's still room for improvement and we are working on getting better. We are trying to improve our consistency." Yifan-Shuxian were also impressive in the last eight, easily overcoming another Malaysian duo, world No. 22 Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee 21-7, 21-15 in only 34 minutes. Mei Xing said that Yifan-Shuxian have improved after playing together for nearly a year. "Our opponents played very well today (yesterday). We could not cope with their speed," Mei Xing told the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "Their combination is very smooth compared to when they started playing together. Now, their shots and rotation are difficult to play against. "We can learn a lot from their speed, power and tactics." Now, it's Pearly-Thinaah's turn to try to stop Yifan-Shuxian, who will also have the home support behind them. Women's doubles coach Rosman Razak has an important task - come up with a winning strategy for his charges. Pearly-Thinaah will be attempting to reach their fifth final of the year after capturing the Thailand Open and finishing second in the Indonesian Open and Masters to go with their runners-up finish in Japan. The pair are also looking to maintain their form ahead of the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
The Star
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Pearly-Thinaah storm into China Open semis
PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah smashed into the women's doubles semi-finals in the China Open after an impressive win over Japan's world No. 9 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto. The world No. 3 pair controlled the match from start to finish to come away with a commanding 21-16, 21-12 victory in just 39 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Friday (July 25). It was Pearly-Thinaah's fourth win over Fukushima-Matsumoto in five meetings. The in-form duo are now just one win away from reaching their second consecutive final after finishing runners-up in the Japan Open in Tokyo last week but face a tough task next against world No. 7 home pair Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian. Pearly-Thinaah have only beaten Yifan-Shuxian once in their past four clashes.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Pearly-Thinaah rise to world No. 2 after reaching China Open semi-final
KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are set to hit a career-high world No. 2 ranking after storming into the semi-finals of the China Open in Changzhou on Friday. The Malaysian women's doubles pair, currently ranked No. 3, outclassed Japan's world No. 8 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto 21-16, 21-12 in the quarter-finals at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. The convincing victory not only extended Pearly-Thinaah's head-to-head record over the Japanese pair to 4-1, but also elevated them past Japan's Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama in the world rankings. It also narrowed the gap on world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China. The updated BWF world rankings will be released on Tuesday. Pearly-Thinaah will next face China's world No. 7 pairing of Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian in the semi-finals on Saturday — the same pair who ousted their teammates Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing in the last eight.
The Star
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Double delight for Rosman as Pei Kee-Mei Xing shine
Giantkillers: Go Pei Kee (right) and Teoh Mei Xing stunned sixth seeds Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi of Japan in the second round of the China Open. PETALING JAYA: National women's doubles coach Rosman Razak had every reason to smile at the China Open as two pairs – Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing – advanced to the quarter-finals in sheer style. His young pair Pei Kee-Mei Xing turned up as a surprise package when they stunned sixth seeds Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi of Japan 26-24, 7-21, 21-18 in a gruelling 63-minute second round match yesterday. Pei Kee-Mei Xing, who had previously come under fire for their inconsistent performances and a noticeable gulf in quality compared to Pearly-Thinaah, rose to the occasion with a spirited display against the Japanese pair. However, a sterner test awaits them next as they take on home favourites Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian. Pearly-Thinaah, who defeated Japan's Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara 21-17, 21-13 yesterday, are set to climb one rung to No. 2 in the world rankings next week following their consistent showing. They are set to surpass Japan's Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida following the latter's early exit from the ongoing China Open. Today, Pearly-Thinaah will face either Indonesia's Febriana Kusuma-Amallia Pratiwi or Japan's Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto. Said Pearly: 'I think it wasn't the most comfortable match, and our opponents were strong as well. But we're glad we managed to keep each other calm and take control of some of the crucial shots,' said Pearly. 'We're hoping to stay on track and keep our confidence up. 'Physically, there's definitely some fatigue, but the most important thing is supporting each other throughout the match. If we can do that, anything is possible,' added Thinaah.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Pearly-Thinaah's China Open run moves them closer to world No. 2
KUALA LUMPUR: Tired legs and a strong draught at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium did little to stop women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah from inching closer to a career-high world No. 2 ranking, as they booked their spot in the China Open quarter-finals on Thursday.. World No. 3 Pearly-Thinaah had to dig deep to overcome Japan's world No. 99 Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara 21-17, 21-13 in a 37-minute second-round clash in Changzhou. The Malaysians will officially leapfrog Japan's Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama for the No. 2 spot next week if they reach the semi-finals. Thinaah admitted they weren't at their best following a physically demanding campaign at the Japan Open last week. "Last week definitely affected us physically, but we're trying to keep our confidence level high," said Thinaah. "The draught was strong today, so we needed to come up with the right strategy to deal with it. "We weren't too comfortable against the strong Hirokami-Hobara pair, but we managed to calm ourselves down and take control of the rallies. We're hoping for better momentum tomorrow (Friday)." Pearly, after improving their head-to-head record to 3-0 against the Japanese duo, is now looking to step up in a tough last-eight clash against either Japan's world No. 9 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto or Indonesia's world No. 10 Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi on Friday. "Our movement was quite slow today, but we hope to perform better in the quarter-finals," said Pearly. Shida-Matsuyama (88,832 points) missed the chance to consolidate second place after crashing out in the first round in Changzhou. Pearly-Thinaah, meanwhile, are set to collect enough points to overtake their Japanese rivals and move just behind runaway world No. 1s Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China — if they make the semi-finals. Pearly-Thinaah have already achieved their best result at the China Open by reaching the quarter-finals, and the prospect of a new career-high ranking will give them added motivation to go all out on Friday.
