KUALA LUMPUR — Pearly Tan-M Thinaah appeared to have bounced back from their disappointing first-round exit at the Malaysia Open just last week.
The Malaysian top women’s doubles pair, currently ranked 12th in the world, utilised the one-week break to regroup and came out swinging at the India Open that kicked off today.
Seizing the opportunity, Pearly-Thinaah dominated their opening match at the India Open, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia-hsin and Teng Chun-hsun in straight sets, 21-12, 21-11.
The swift victory took them a mere 31 minutes, setting a strong tone for their campaign.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalists will now face a formidable challenge against the fourth-seeded Japanese duo, Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida, in the second round on Thursday.
Despite having won only once in their previous nine encounters, Pearly-Thinaah will draw on their renewed energy and strategy to secure a spot in the later stages of the tournament.
Joining the success story from the Malaysian camp is women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien, who exhibited patience and determination in overcoming American twin sisters Annie Xu and Kerry Xu with a hard-fought victory of 11-21, 21-17, 21-13, lasting an hour and 16 minutes.
In the mixed doubles category, independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai showcased their prowess by dispatching the French duo Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delruse in straight sets, 21-12, 21-15, in an impressive 40-minute display.
However, the men’s doubles category saw a different outcome as Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun succumbed to Indonesia’s top shuttlers Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto in a match that extended over an hour, ending with a scoreline of 21-16, 15-21, 13-21.
In women’s singles, Malaysia faced disappointment as Goh Jin Wei failed to progress, falling to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in straight sets, 10-21, 14-21.
Looking ahead to day two of the opening round, Malaysia’s only men’s singles representative, Lee Zii Jia, is poised for a favourable matchup against Canada’s Brian Yang, having previously secured victories in all four of their encounters.
The spotlight will also be on former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and their compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani as they aim to prove their mettle against Japanese opponents Akira Koga-Taichi Saito and Adam Dong-Nyl Yakura, respectively.
In the mixed doubles event, Malaysia’s top pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will face Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, while Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing are set to take on the formidable Japanese duo Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino on what promises to be another thrilling day of badminton action. — January 16, 2024