KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah lost belief in themselves due to the former’s injury troubles last year but are slowly returning back to form, according to national badminton coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
Pearly struggled with a series of injuries last year, including injuries to her elbow and pelvis.
Early this morning, the world number 15 pair lost in three sets to China’s fifth-ranked pair Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu in the first round of the Super 750 French Open at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris. The Malaysian duo lost in three sets, 18-21, 21-16, 21-12.
However, despite that defeat, Rexy said Malaysia’s top women’s pair are slowly getting back to their best as they are gaining momentum.
“They are slowly getting their game back in order. They are playing with more aggression. We can also see that they are now supporting each other through their on-court rotations.
“Preparation for this European tour was disrupted by the Badminton Asia Team Championships as we only had two weeks to prepare. However, right now, they need to build more confidence to play better,” said Rexy when contacted.
Meanwhile, the former Olympic gold medallist said Pearly-Thinaah need to keep their aggressive play up and maintain their momentum ahead of the All England tournament next week.
“Mentally, they need to believe that they can play better than what they displayed against the Chinese pair. This will help them keep their momentum moving forward,” Rexy added.
The All England will start on Tuesday (March 12) at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham in the UK.
Pearly-Thinah will meet fellow Malaysians Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien in the first round.
Should they get over that first hurdle, they could meet world number one pair Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan of China in the second round.
The Chinese pair is expected to defeat their world number 26 opponents, Hsu Ya-ching and Lin Wan-ching of Chinese Taipei, in the first round. – March 7, 2024