KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — National women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan- M. Thinaah took just 38 minutes to defeat world number three Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning from China to claim the Hong Kong Open title at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon today.
In the Super 500 final, Pearly-Thinaah fought valiantly to secure victory in straight sets 21-14, 21-14.
This triumph marked the end of the world eighth-ranked pair’s title drought in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar, with their previous victory at the 2022 French Open.
It also saw them rise from their runner-up finish at last year’s Hong Kong Open to champions this year.
This is the third time the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists have defeated Sheng Shu-Ning out of seven encounters, having last lost to them in the quarter finals of the Japan Open last month.
This was Pearly-Thinaah’s second consecutive title appearance after finishing as runners-up at the Korea Open, where they were defeated by home pair Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong.
Yesterday, Pearly-Thinaah battled for over an hour to book their spot in the final, defeating South Korea’s Baek Ha Na- Lee So Hee 22-20, 17-21, 21-15.
Meanwhile, Thinaah said the victory was an early gift to the nation in conjunction with Malaysia Day tomorrow, as the pair missed the chance to claim the Korea Open title for Merdeka on August 31.
“We never really thought about it (the first Malaysian women’s pair to win the doubles title at the Hong Kong Open) so we are really happy. It helps us (to be more) confident (in the future).
“(At match point) I think both of us were thinking the same thing: finish the game faster. However, we made silly mistakes that we should not have, but we will take note and be more cautious,” she said through an audio shared by BWF today.
Pearly also acknowledged good communication was “key” to today’s victory and hopes the excellent momentum can continue in the upcoming tournaments.
— Bernama
