Eager for action: Pearly Tan (right) and M. Thinaah will open their campaign against Thailand’s Supissara Paewsampran-Puttita Supajirakul in the first round of the Denmark Open. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Pearly Tan twirled and jumped around but there was no pain on her leg this time – only smiles.
The 22-year-old had a fun and fruitful training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday to show that her hamstring tear, which she suffered during the Japan Open in Osaka, is no longer a big bother.
In fact, Pearly is raring to go for some action with partner M. Thinaah in the Denmark Open from Oct 18-23 in Odense and they aim to do well in the women’s doubles event.
“A few days ago, I would not even have done these jumps because I didn’t feel as comfortable as I did until today,” said Pearly when met yesterday.
“My leg feels steady, and that’s why I can do all these spinning and twirling jumps.”
Pearly, however, remains cautious although she is able to let loose in training.
“I’m still going through the rehab sessions as I want to prevent future injuries. I also need to strengthen my muscles. I can’t take it lightly.”
While she is happy with her physical condition, it’s her confidence that needs some work.
Pearly knows that it will not be easy to return to a tournament after an injury as the fear of aggravating it can prevent her from giving her best.
“I’m back on court for regular training but I still need to regain my full confidence. Overall, I think that I’m making good progress,” said Pearly.
World No. 11 Pearly-Thinaah will open their campaign against world No. 62 Supissara Paewsampran-Puttita Supajirakul of Thailand in the first round of the Denmark Open. On paper, they should win although the Thais will make it difficult for them. If they win, they are likely to play world No. 2 Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan of China and that will be super tough.
In the French Open the following week, they have been drawn against world No. 26 Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti of Indonesia.
Pearly-Thinaah had previously beaten Rahayu-Ramadhanti 21-18, 21-17 in the Malaysian Masters quarter-finals but the Indonesians went on to win the Singapore Open a week later.
