PETALING JAYA: National women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are channeling high expectations into motivation as they bid to capture their second French Open title.
The duo, who previously won the tournament in 2022, advanced to the final yesterday.
Their 2022 victory marked their first major Super 750 crown.
“I think back then we didn’t expect to win the title, but this year there are a lot more expectations on us,” said Thinaah after their semi-final match.
“We will turn that expectation into motivation to keep going.”
The world No. 4 Malaysian pair secured their spot by defeating Japan’s world No. 5 pair, Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi, 21-17, 22-20 in a 46-minute match at the Arena Grand Paris.
Despite trailing 3-12 in the second game, the pair rallied to close out the match in straight games.
“They really pressured us to make mistakes in the second game,” said Thinaah.
“We just kept supporting each other no matter the scoreline.”
The victory marks their fifth consecutive win over the Japanese pair, adding to a successful run that includes titles at the 2025 Arctic Open and Japan Masters.
The duo, who also claimed the Denmark Open title last week, will face either Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsutomo of Japan or the Indonesian pairing of Rachel Allessya-Febi Setianingrum in today’s final.
Pearly-Thinaah hold an even 5-5 record against the top-seeded Japanese pair, though they have lost their last four encounters.
However, they maintain a dominant 4-0 record against the Indonesian duo.
