National women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah recovered from their disappointing Japan Open outing by securing a place in the second round of the China Open today.
The world No. 5 Malaysian duo produced a dominant display to defeat Japan’s world No. 29 pair Ririna Hiramoto-Kokona Ishikawa 21-16, 21-12 in just 31 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou.
Pearly-Thinaah, who finished as runners-up in last year’s tournament, will face either Japan’s Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara or Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr in the next round.
Their victory came after a shock first-round defeat at the Japan Open last week, where they were eliminated by Taiwan’s Hsu Yin Hui-Lin Jhih Yun.
The Malaysian pair have claimed only one title this year, winning the Indonesia Masters in January, and will be aiming for a stronger performance in China.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles veterans Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie survived a tough 50-minute battle to overcome Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Misaki Matsutomo 21-15, 16-21, 21-19.
The world No. 12 husband-and-wife duo will face a difficult test in the next round against China’s world No. 6 pairing Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui. The Malaysians previously lost to the Chinese pair in straight games during their last meeting two years ago.
Malaysia’s women’s singles campaign ended after Wong Ling Ching was defeated by South Korea’s Sim Yu Jin 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 in a 50-minute match.
Another Malaysian women’s singles player, K Letshanaa, had already exited the tournament after losing her opening-round match yesterday.
