PETALING JAYA: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s (pic) dream of a European double went up in smoke as they let a flying start slip away in the French Open final in Paris yesterday.
The world No. 5 pair came out firing in the opening game but lost their rhythm in the second before going down 21-10, 17-21, 16-21 to top seeds and defending champions Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsutomo of Japan at the Grand Arena Paris.
It was their sixth defeat in 11 meetings against the Japanese pair, who turned the tables with their relentless attacking play.
Pearly-Thinaah had arrived in Paris brimming with confidence after winning the Denmark Open last week and reaching back-to-back Super 750 finals.
Thinaah, who won the French Open with Pearly in 2022, admitted they had blown it.
“It was that second game when our opponents changed the strategy and pressured us, it helped them to take a comfortable lead,” said Thinaah.
“We tried towards the end to get back, but they were ahead of us and stayed confident.”
Pearly also paid tribute to coach Rosman Razak for keeping them composed during tense moments.
“He is always there to calm our nerves down and slows us down when we rush to kill a shot. He is always there to give us confidence.”
Despite the disappointment, Pearly believes they have plenty to be proud of after two encouraging weeks in Europe.
“We knew it would not be easy as the Japanese are a strong pair. They were still playing a fast game in the decider but we were slower,” said Pearly.
“We would take a lot of positives from here. We have gotten our momentum back, and we trust each other more than before.
“We have more than a week break before we return to compete.”
The duo will be playing at the Japan Masters from Nov 10-15 in Kumamoto.
Underdogs Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing faced a daunting task but put up a spirited fight before going down 10-21, 13-21 to top seeds Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping of China in the mixed doubles final.
It was the Chinese pair’s third consecutive title, but Pang Ron-Pei Jing can hold their heads high after reaching their first Super 750 final.
