Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah staged a remarkable comeback to reach the 2026 French Open final after defeating Japan’s Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in Paris on Saturday.
The second seeds battled back from a 3-12 deficit in the second game to secure a 21-17, 22-20 victory in 47 minutes in their semi-final at the Grand Paris Arena.
The win also extended Pearly-Thinaah’s head-to-head record against the Japanese pair to 9-2.
After falling behind in the second game, the Malaysians gradually clawed their way back, drawing level at 18-18 before holding their nerve to equalise again at 20-20 and seal the match.
They will face either top seeds Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto of Japan or Indonesia’s Rachel Allessya Rose-Febi Setianingrum in the final of the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.
Pearly-Thinaah will be aiming for their third title of the season, having won the Indonesia Masters in January and the Denmark Open earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s professional mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing also booked their place in the final after defeating China’s Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui 21-13, 21-9 in their semi-final.
