KUALA LUMPUR — Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky will meet with his coaching team to discuss the performance issues of Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah.
Rexy’s comments follow the national women’s doubles pair’s struggle to find their rhythm at the ongoing Malaysia Open, where they were defeated in the first round by newly paired Indonesians Siti Fadia Ramadhanti and Lanny Tria.
The world number six duo lost 21-19, 14-21, 13-21 in a 63-minute match on January 7.
Rexy said an analysis would focus not only on their performance but also on better preparing them for upcoming events throughout the year.
Pearly and Thinaah will next compete in the India Open, from January 14 to 19, where they are set to face India’s Prerana Alvekar and Mrunmayee Deshpande in the opening round.
“Yes, I do agree that their form has been poor recently, especially since the World Tour Finals, but we can’t be too quick to judge them,” said Rexy when met after a press conference at Axiata Arena today.
“The coaching team will meet with them before they leave for India to see what support we can offer to help them improve.
“They are making progress, and with more intensive training and coaching, I’m confident they’ll deliver strong performances this year.
“As coaches, our role is to help all our players succeed, which includes Pearly and Thinaah, and we will do our utmost to ensure they become even more successful.”
Pearly and Thinaah’s recent poor form began in December at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, where they lost all their matches in Group A.
They were defeated 13-21, 21-17, 21-18 by Japan’s Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the first round, 21-19, 21-19 by India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela in the second, and 21-9, 18-21, 21-18 by China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the third. — January 11, 2025