KUALA LUMPUR: Beating Olympic champions Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan would have been the perfect ending, but world No. 2 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are heading home from Europe with full hearts and renewed purpose.
The women’s doubles pair fell 21-16, 21-16 to the Chinese legends in the French Open quarter-finals on Friday — their ninth defeat in 10 meetings — but their three-week European campaign brought much to be grateful for.
Pearly reflected that the trip had reminded her why she plays the game — “passion, patience, and purpose” — after the pair captured the Super 500 Arctic Open title in Finland earlier this month.
“These three weeks reminded me why I love what I do — passion, patience, and purpose,” Pearly wrote on Instagram.
“We didn’t get the perfect ending, but we found new strength and focus. Thank you to my partner Thinaah for staying strong through the tired days. Let’s rest, recharge, and start again with full hearts.”
Pearly-Thinaah returned from Europe with one title, a last-eight appearance in France, and the assurance of a spot in the season-ending World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou in December.
Despite a short turnaround following their historic World Championships silver medal in Paris in August, Pearly-Thinaah have continued to build momentum, winning in Finland (Arctic Open) and showing grit and determination against the world’s best.
Pearly-Thinaah, who lost in the second round of the Denmark Open, will next play at the Kumamoto Masters in Japan (Nov 11-16), followed by the Australian Open in Sydney (Nov 18-23).
With 102,660 ranking points, Pearly-Thinaah have already sealed their place among the top eight pairs in the race to the WTF, where they hope to cap their year with another spirited performance, and perhaps, another reminder of why they play the game they love.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
