Sore shoulder forces shuttler to miss clash against Denmark

Change of plans: Pearly Tan (front) is expected to focus on playing well with M. Thinaah in the Denmark Open in Odense from Oct 19-24.

PETALING JAYA: Pearly Tan had hoped to make her Uber Cup Finals a memorable outing but she had to sit out because of a shoulder injury.

She was not fielded with partner M. Thinaah in their opening Group D tie against Denmark in Aarhus, Denmark, yesterday.

Instead, the former had formed a scratch partnership with skipper Lee Meng Yean as the first doubles.

The 21-year-old Pearly will also miss the tie against China today.

Pearly-Thinaah had given a strong showing at the Sudirman Cup in Finland recently where they fought hard before going down against higher-ranked pairs – Olympic champions Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia and Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo-Mayu Matsumoto.

But it was during the match against the Japanese that Pearly had hurt her shoulder.

National coaching director Wong Choong Hann said they had to make the tough call to rest Pearly so as not to jeopardise her blooming doubles career.

“If given a chance, Pearly would have wanted to play even with the pain... she is a fighter, but we have to look at our long-term plan for her,” said Choong Hann.

“It’s pointless to play and further aggravate her shoulder pain... it will then take a longer time for her injury to heal.

“She had sought medical treatment in Finland after the match against Japan... there was a minor fibre tear and she was advised to take two to three weeks of rest.

“Fortunately, it’s not a muscle tear as that would have required a longer time to heal.

“We assessed her form after a light training on the eve of our match against Denmark but after discussion, we decided not to take the risk,” said Choong Hann.

“She is a player with a bright future and we don’t want her to be injured now as that will hamper her progress.”

Choong Hann wants Pearly to focus on playing well with Thinaah in the Denmark Open in Odense from Oct 19-24.

“We may field her against Canada next week but we will see how it goes. The priority is for her to be in good shape for the Denmark Open next and the other tournaments after that,” he added.