Pearly-Thinaah’s resilient show should not end after home highlight

AS a journalist covering the Malaysian Masters, even I was moved to tears seeing Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s battling performances.

Malaysian fans have been crying out for home players to show more fight and fire in the belly at home for years and the duo certainly did not disappoint with their powerful display.

No Malaysian has won the Malaysian Masters or Open since Datuk Lee Chong Wei captured the men’s singles title in 2018 but Pearly-Thinaah and the men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun came so close to ending the title drought on Sunday.

While Pearly-Thinaah touched the hearts of thousands of Malaysians with their sheer will and spirit to survive long rallies, Wei Chong-Kai Wun wowed with their speed, power and skill.

Pearly-Thinaah had suffered a disappointing opening round exit in the same venue – the Axiata Arena – in the Malaysian Open just four months ago but they more than redeemed themselves this time by exacting sweet revenge against the same pair – Bulgarian Stoeva sisters Gabriela and Stefani in the same stage.

That was their only match that finished in less than an hour in the tournament.

The match against Japan’s rising pair and Swiss Open champions Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto in the second-round was really a test of character for Pearly-Thinaah, especially in the deciding game.

In the past, Malaysian players’ mental strength and ability to bounce back from a setback had been frequently questioned.

In fact, Pearly-Thinaah themselves have shown a lack of patience that have proven to be their downfall before.

But this time, boy did they stay patient!

They had to get the winning point in the now viral 211-shot rally and they did it, spurred on by the wildly passionate home fans who encouraged and cheered them on.

I was lucky to be in the stadium to witness the incredible rally.

While home players have crumbled under the pressure of playing in front of their fans before this, Pearly-Thinaah turned the roars from the crowd into fuel to stretch every sinew and muscle and fight for every point.

It was similar in their next match against another Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota which turned into a marathon battle that lasted 111 minutes and the dynamic duo were even more impressive against South Korea’s world No. 5 Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong.

Many would have thought that Pearly-Thinaah had finally ran out of gas when they were down 2-12 in the second game but they somehow still managed to dig deep and miraculously come back to win 23-21.

Pearly-Thinaah made many believe that they could crown their amazing run with the title but they were left in tears after losing to another Korean pair Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee in the final but not after gaining much respect from their opponents and fans.

The fans, who screamed themselves hoarse while cheering for every home player, will be rooting for them again.

Hopefully, their good run will continue in all the tournaments moving forward, not just at home.

I believe they will win soon. Then, Pearly-Thinaah, the fans and I can shed tears of joy.