Giantkillers: Go Pei Kee (right) and Teoh Mei Xing stunned sixth seeds Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi of Japan in the second round of the China Open.
PETALING JAYA: National women’s doubles coach Rosman Razak had every reason to smile at the China Open as two pairs – Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing – advanced to the quarter-finals in sheer style.
His young pair Pei Kee-Mei Xing turned up as a surprise package when they stunned sixth seeds Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi of Japan 26-24, 7-21, 21-18 in a gruelling 63-minute second round match yesterday.
Pei Kee-Mei Xing, who had previously come under fire for their inconsistent performances and a noticeable gulf in quality compared to Pearly-Thinaah, rose to the occasion with a spirited display against the Japanese pair.
However, a sterner test awaits them next as they take on home favourites Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian.
Pearly-Thinaah, who defeated Japan’s Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara 21-17, 21-13 yesterday, are set to climb one rung to No. 2 in the world rankings next week following their consistent showing.
They are set to surpass Japan’s Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida following the latter’s early exit from the ongoing China Open.
Today, Pearly-Thinaah will face either Indonesia’s Febriana Kusuma-Amallia Pratiwi or Japan’s Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto.
Said Pearly: “I think it wasn’t the most comfortable match, and our opponents were strong as well. But we’re glad we managed to keep each other calm and take control of some of the crucial shots,” said Pearly.
“We’re hoping to stay on track and keep our confidence up.
“Physically, there’s definitely some fatigue, but the most important thing is supporting each other throughout the match. If we can do that, anything is possible,” added Thinaah.
