KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s campaign at the 2024 Denmark Open came to a halt as the nation’s final hopes, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, bowed out in the quarterfinals early this morning.
The top women’s doubles pair had to concede defeat to Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, losing 20-22, 19-21 in a match that lasted nearly an hour.
This marks Pearly-Thinaah’s second loss to the Japanese duo in six encounters.
In today’s semifinals, Rin and Kie will face the tournament’s second-seeded pair, South Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So He.
The Koreans advanced after defeating compatriots Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong 21-17, 21-9.
Earlier, Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair and defending champions, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, were also knocked out in the quarterfinals, losing to China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi 20-22, 15-21 in a 41-minute match.
Meanwhile, Thinaah acknowledged that fatigue played a role in their defeat to the Japanese pair.
“It’s been a good two weeks in Europe but we were tired today. Coming into every match we always have that fighting Malaysian spirit.
“When we are trying to grasp crucial points, sometimes we need to dig really deep, but we always support each other always,” she said.
Pearly expressed pride in the performance she showcased with Thinaah over the two weeks of competing in the tournament.
“We have had a great two weeks with lots of good matches. Lots of lessons learned. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in Finland and Denmark,” she said.
