Impressive feat: Pearly Tan- M. Thinaah pulled off one of their biggest wins when they upstaged world No. 2 Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee in the semis of the Korean Open.
PETALING JAYA: It will be a test of character for women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah when they face off against South Korea’s Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee again.
The duo will clash in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open today but the Koreans are baying for the Malaysians’ blood after losing at home two weeks ago.
The world No. 8 Pearly-Thinaah had then pulled of one of their biggest wins when they upstaged the world No. 2 Ha-na-So-hee in the semis of the Korean Open to keep their playing record 2-2.
Can Pearly-Thinaah stay consistent to beat the higher ranked pair?
It’s possible based on their current form, as yesterday, the duo continued their impressive form of late when they dispatched off Taiwan Open champions Febriana Dwipuji-Amalia Cahaya of Indonesia 21-14, 21-13 in just 31 minutes in the last eight at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon.
The world No. 12 Febriana-Amalia had been progressing well this year and were expected to give the Malaysians a tough time but bowed out without much fight.
It was the Malaysians’ fourth victory over their opponents in five meetings.
Pearly-Thinaah are hoping to continue their good run against Ha-na-So-hee.
“We have prepared well for the match. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves on court and gave our best,” Thinaah told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in a post-match interview.
“The win in straight games has boosted our confidence as well.”
Pearly said: “Now, we have confidence in each other and in our game play. We want to keep our momentum, be consistent and focus on our own game.”
Pearly-Thinaah have been playing some of their best badminton from the Paris Olympics onwards where they created history by becoming the first women’s doubles pair in the country to reach the semis.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s doubles came to an end after Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun went down 18-21, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza.
There were mixed joy in the mixed doubles as Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei made it to the semis after beating Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui of China 21-13, 17-21, 21-10 and will take on top seeds Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping of China.
It’s game over for Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Hoo Pan Rong-Cheng Su Yin.
