Malaysia’s doubles coaching staff are hopeful for a turnaround in form from women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah at next week’s Indonesia Open following their early exit at the Singapore Open.
The world No. 2 pair suffered a shock straight-games defeat to Thailand’s world No. 105 duo Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard in the last 16 of the Super 750 tournament.
Despite the setback, Pearly–Thinaah remain one of Malaysia’s strongest pairs on the international circuit, having reached their first Super 1000 final at the Indonesia Open last year, where they finished runners-up to China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
General performance fluctuations are not uncommon in elite badminton, especially after injury setbacks and changes in competition rhythm, which can significantly impact timing and consistency.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said he has been receiving daily updates from women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak, who described their Singapore outing as below expectations due to too many unforced errors.
Rexy added that the coaching team is confident the pair can rebound strongly at the upcoming tournament, which begins on Tuesday in Jakarta.
Pearly had recently been sidelined for nearly two months due to a recurring back injury, which also forced the pair to withdraw from the Malaysia Masters.
Rexy will be present in Jakarta to monitor their progress along with other Malaysian doubles pairs.
In the opening round, Pearly–Thinaah have been drawn against Canada’s Jackie Dent and Crystal Lai, ranked world No. 33, with a potential path leading to tougher clashes against higher-ranked opponents in the later stages.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s other representatives, Carmen Ting and Ong Xin Yee, face a challenging first-round encounter against Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe, who previously defeated them at the Indonesia Masters earlier this year.
