PETALING JAYA: World No. 2 women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah booked their first-ever World Tour Finals semi-final spot after defeating Japan’s Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi 21-13, 21-13 in Hangzhou, China, on Thursday (Dec 18).
It was Pearly-Thinaah’s second straight win, which saw them move to the top of Group B with two points.
And although the Group B race was thrown wide open after Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian defeated Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto 21-16, 16-21, 21-16, it does not affect Pearly-Thinaah’s chances of reaching the semi-finals as they boast a superior game and points difference of 84-59.
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Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian have 86 points for and 98 against, whereas Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto have 98 for and 86 against.
Friday’s (Dec 19) match against Fukushima-Matsumoto will only determine Pearly-Thinaah’s status as group winners, but for the Japanese pair, a victory is crucial to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei have also confirmed their tickets for the semis after beating Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu 14-21, 21-14, 21-15 to extend their unbeaten record against the pair to six matches.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei will play their final group match against Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping of China to decide the Group B winners.
Yanzhe-Dongping have ended the campaign of mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai in the Finals after beating them 23-25, 21-11, 22-20 in their second Group B match.
Despite holding a lead in the third game and being on the brink of victory, unforced errors denied the Malaysians a first-ever win over the Chinese duo.
The defeat was their second in Group B, following an earlier loss to compatriots Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, ending their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
They will play against Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu of Indonesia next to complete the group fixtures.
