Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah showcased their resilience as they advanced to the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open. The world’s No. 7 women’s doubles pair triumphed over South Korea’s Lee Yu Lim and Shin Seung Chan with a score of 20-22, 21-18, 21-16 in a grueling 70-minute match in Odense on Thursday.
The victory was especially sweet for Pearly and Thinaah, as it avenged their semi-final loss to the same opponents at the Malaysia Masters in May.
Thursday’s match was part of a demanding stretch for Pearly-Thinaah, who have faced a total of 344 minutes of intense competition over their last four matches. This includes a 74-minute first-round match against India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, along with two challenging encounters in their runner-up finish at the Arctic Open last week—a 102-minute semi-final against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, and a 58-minute final loss to China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Their average match duration during this stretch has been an impressive 86 minutes.
“My legs feel like they’re carrying an extra 100 kg. It’s a struggle to move,” Pearly joked after the match. She credited Thinaah for her unwavering support and motivation.
“Thinaah’s constant encouragement kept me going. Seeing her determination boosted my confidence. We fought point by point and ultimately prevailed,” she said.
Thinaah echoed Pearly’s sentiments, noting that their fatigue was overshadowed by their renewed joy in playing badminton. This passion has fueled their recent success, which includes a top-four finish at the Paris Olympics, a title at the Hong Kong Open, and a runner-up position at the Korea Open.
“It’s challenging, but our excitement to compete daily drives us forward,” Thinaah remarked. “We’re riding a wave of good momentum and aim to maintain it. We savored not just the match, but every point played. Despite our exhaustion, we kept motivating each other and stuck to our strategy, regardless of our opponents’ lead.”
Looking ahead, Pearly-Thinaah expect another demanding match in the quarter-finals, where they will face Iwanaga and Nakanishi on Friday.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles campaign came to an end with Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin’s elimination. They fought valiantly but lost 21-8, 21-23, 21-14.
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