MALAYSIA’S top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, advanced to the final of the 2025 Japan Open Badminton Championships in commanding style after defeating Japan’s Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the semi-finals today.
Playing at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the world number three duo delivered a composed and aggressive performance, taking the first game 21-13 before sealing the match 21-11 in just 35 minutes.
With this win, Pearly and Thinaah broke their losing streak against the Japanese pair, who had previously beaten them in 13 out of 15 encounters.
Their last win over Matsuyama-Shida came at the 2022 French Open, with the Japanese pair dominating all subsequent meetings, including at this year’s Sudirman Cup.
Pearly and Thinaah will next face either Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning or Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian of China in the final.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, fell short of reaching the final after losing to defending champions Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China.
The world number four pair were outplayed 12-21, 16-21 in straight games during their semi-final clash- BERNAMA
