KUALA LUMPUR — Pearly Tan and M Thinaah look more assured than ever, and it’s no surprise why.
Just weeks after signing new long-term contracts with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), the nation’s top women’s doubles pair is rediscovering their best form, and they now seem fully focused with the off-court uncertainties behind them.
Today, the world No. 3 duo downed Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-16, 21-12 in the China Open quarter-finals, continuing their red-hot run a week after reaching the Japan Open final.
Their impressive showing will see them climb to a career-high world No. 2 when the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings are released next week.
After weeks of speculation about their future, Pearly and Thinaah finally put pen to paper on new four-year deals with BAM earlier this month, extending their partnership through to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We’re really relieved that this thing has been settled,” said Thinaah, referring to the contract saga.
“But we didn’t want to let that affect our performance in training or during tournaments. We just wanted to focus on what’s in front of us, and now that everything is good, we just hope to continue giving good performances.”
The Malaysians showed excellent composure and sharp defence to neutralise the Japanese attack — something Pearly said they had prepared for in advance.
“We discussed earlier that we wanted to prepare well on our defence because we know their attacking is quite strong,” she said.
“I think we did well on this part, and we really supported each other during the match. I’m really happy with today’s win.”
Pearly and Thinaah, who have now made back-to-back semifinal appearances in top-tier tournaments, attributed their recent consistency as a major factor behind their form.
“There’s still room for improvement,” said Thinaah. “But we are really working on being more consistent, and I think that’s what’s showing in our results.”
The Malaysians face China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shuxian next in Saturday’s semifinal.
Meanwhile, in the men’s doubles quarter-finals, former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik dispatched their national teammates Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun 21-16, 21-16.
Earlier in the mixed doubles quarter-finals, Malaysia’s fourth-seeded Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei went down in straight games 21-19, 21-15 to China’s Guo Xin Wan and Chen Fang Hui. — July 25, 2025
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