KUALA LUMPUR: Former national coach Datuk James Selvaraj has urged Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah to strike the right balance between confidence and composure at the World Championships in Paris later this month.
The world No. 2 women’s doubles have been handed a favourable draw, with a projected third-round meeting against Indonesia’s world No. 14 Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, a pair they lead 2-1 in head-to-head meetings.
In the quarter-finals, they could meet Japan’s world No. 8 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto, against whom they hold a 4-1 record — all four wins coming this year.
A potential semi-final showdown awaits against either Japan’s world No. 3 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida or South Korea‘s world No. 5 Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong.
Matsuyama-Shida have a dominant 13-2 record against the Malaysians, but Pearly-Thinaah snapped a seven-match losing streak to the Japanese at the Japan Open last month. The Koreans, meanwhile, have beaten them in all three past encounters.
“If the path is clear for them to go into the semi-final, then they have to play with confidence,” said James.
“They must be sure of their strokes, focus on the game, and win through until they reach the semi-final. They’ve beaten some of these pairs before, so they shouldn’t have a problem.
“But they must not be overconfident. Once you’re overconfident, trouble will come your way. The draw is in their favour, so it’s good for them. At least they’ve got a chance to enter the semi-final — that’s already very good.
“Just play your normal game and enjoy it — that’s the most important thing.”
In mixed doubles, world No. 6 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai are on course for a third-round collision with world No. 16 Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin, with the married pair holding a 1-0 head-to-head lead.
If Soon Huat-Shevon get past their compatriots, China‘s world No. 2 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin could be waiting in the quarter-finals.
World No. 4 Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei could face a tricky third-round encounter against Indonesia’s world No. 11 Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu, with a potential quarter-final clash against Hong Kong’s world No. 5 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet for a place in the semis.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
