KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles coach Hoon Thien How believes it is only a matter of time before Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah break their World Tour title drought.
Although their last title came two years ago at the French Open, the world number eight Malaysians have shown excellent form since finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics last month.
Today, Pearly and Thinaah advanced to their second consecutive World Tour semi-final since the Paris Games, with a comfortable 21-14, 21-13 win over Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi in the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals.
“It’s not easy to maintain the same level of consistency or form after the Olympics, as every pair aims to peak at the Games,” said Thien How, a former international player.
“Pearly and Thinaah have been in great shape since the Olympics, so I’m very pleased with their progress.
“The only thing missing now is a title, and I believe it will come. They just need to keep working towards it.”
Pearly and Thinaah, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic bronze, will next face South Korea’s world number two pair, Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee.
Having already beaten them in the semi-finals of the Korean Open two weeks ago, Pearly and Thinaah will be confident of reaching their second straight final this season.
Meanwhile, in the men’s doubles event, seventh seeds Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun lost 21-18, 21-15 to Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
Sabar and Moh will face their compatriots Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana tomorrow. – September 13, 2024