Onwards to Paris: Pearly Tan (right) and M. Thinaah will play in the French Open from March 5-10. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
SHAH ALAM: Overseas training stints is not the answer to the problem faced by struggling women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
Instead, national coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes that Pearly-Thinaah should continue with their current training programme at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
The world No. 14 pair have come under fire recently for their disappointing performances this year.
In the just concluded Asia Team Championships, Pearly-Thinaah lost to Thailand’s world No. 10 Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai and Indonesia’s world No. 30 Lanny Tria-Ribka Sugiarto.
Malaysia went on to exit the tournament after losing 0-3 in the last eight against Indonesia.
Pearly-Thinaah also have not reached the semi-finals of any of their tournaments so far this year.
Their best showing in an individual competition was reaching the quarter-finals in the Indonesian Masters last month.
Rexy roped in former Indonesian men’s doubles players Ade Yusuf and Gerardo Rizqullah Hafidz as sparring partners for Pearly-Thinaah two weeks ago in a bid to lift the duo.
“We had discussions on sending Pearly-Thinaah for training overseas but this is not easy. Will other countries like China and Japan really be willing to help us?” questioned Rexy.
“They will view our pair as a threat and even if they are willing to spar with them, they will probably not go all out.
“Who else can we get to spar with them?”
Rexy believes that the current training programme was still the best for his charges.
“We got men players to spar with them to increase their speed and improve their defence,” said the Indonesian.
“We also have our other players like Teoh Mei Xing to help them in like 3 versus 2 sessions and so on.
“Women and men have different intensity and playing styles, so, we try to expose them to different styles.”
Pearly-Thinaah remain on track to be the only Malaysian women’s doubles pair to qualify for the Paris Olympics in July.
The pair’s next assignment is the French Open from March 5-10 in Paris.
