Top national women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M Thinaah were all that and more as they outlasted South Koreans Jeong Na-eun – Kim Hye-jeong 21-19, 23-21 to check into the final of the Malaysia Masters 2023 at the Axiata Arena today.
Amazingly, the Malaysians did it by fighting back from 6-11 and 2-11 down in the first and second games. The duo also faced two titanic rallies – 186 shots in the first game and 151 shots in the second – en route to qualifying for their first-ever Super 500 final.
If the first game fightback was remarkable, the second was simply incredible as they clawed their way back from 2-11 down to slowly but surely reel the Koreans in before holding their nerve for a 23-21 win after one hour and 32 minutes.
Pearly-Thinaah will square off against another South Korean pair, Baek Ha-na – Lee So-hee, who ousted Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara 21-19, 21-14 – in tomorrow’s final when all eyes will be on them to end Malaysia’s 11-year title drought at the Malaysia Masters.
Pearly attributed their come-from-behind victory to their ability to stay patient and enjoy every point won.
“I don’t think it (winning) is real because the past few matches have been really tiring … all the fans here really gave us the motivation to go through all of this.
“(After trailing 2-11 in the second game), Thinaah and I decided to just enjoy every point, make every point count and be patient … it worked!” she told reporters when met at the mixed zone.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s final against Ha-na – So-hee, Pearly said they will not take them lightly although they had beaten the South Koreans 21-13, 21-17 in the 2022 French Open semifinals.
Pearly-Thinaah, the current world No 11, created history when they beat Matsumoto-Nagahara 21-18, 21-18 to clinch the 2022 French Open title, becoming the first national women’s doubles pair to achieve the feat since its inception in 1908.
Tomorrow, Pearly-Thinaah will try to emulate the feat of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty, who were the last Malaysian women’s doubles pair to have won the Malaysia Masters when they defeated Singapore’s Shinta Mulia Sari-Yao Lei, 21-18, 21-18 in the 2012 final.