Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, saw their hopes of defending their title dashed after falling in the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open 2025 at the Hong Kong Coliseum today.
The reigning Hong Kong champions and World Championship silver medalists struggled to contain the formidable Chinese duo Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, losing 14-21, 11-21 in just 35 minutes.
The defeat also marked the end of Malaysia’s campaign in this year’s tournament, with Pearly-Thinaah being the country’s only representatives to reach the last four.
Reflecting on the loss, Thinaah admitted that China’s attacking precision forced them onto the defensive throughout the match:
“Many of their shots put us under pressure and pushed us into defense. When that happened, their aggression became harder to handle. It’s something we need to improve and be more alert about,” she said in an audio message shared with the media.
Pearly, meanwhile, acknowledged that lapses in focus cost them momentum at crucial moments.
“At one point, our focus dropped, and we made too many easy mistakes while following their rhythm instead of sticking to our own game. That’s what shifted the match in their favor,” she explained, adding that the pair will take a short break before resuming training for upcoming tournaments.
As a reminder, Pearly-Thinaah etched their names into Malaysian badminton history last year when they clinched the Hong Kong Open 2024 title, defeating China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in straight sets 21-14, 21-14.
Credit Photo : BERNAMA
