KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are on the verge of delivering the perfect Merdeka gift after storming into the World Championships final on Saturday.
Japan’s world No. 3 pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida looked set to crush their dream, but the unshakable world No. 2 Malaysians clawed back for a dramatic 14-21, 21-13, 21-12 win in an emotional 68-minute semi-final at the Adidas Arena in Paris.
Thinaah slumped to her knees in tears after Matsuyama’s final shot hit the net, before Pearly rushed to embrace and console her partner.
It was the first time a Malaysian women’s doubles pair had ever reached the final of a major competition – made even sweeter as Matsuyama-Shida had denied them Olympic bronze in Paris just weeks ago.
“It’s still unbelievable that we are here today because the past one or two weeks have been a really bumpy ride,” said a tearful Thinaah.
“A lot of people see the outcome, but only the two of us and our coaches know what we went through. Thankfully, everyone around us never gave up on us, and I’m really grateful for that.
“The main thing was supporting each other, being patient, staying calm, and remembering to enjoy every point so that we leave no regrets on court. “We’re very happy, but we want to stay grounded because there’s still one more match to go. For now, we just want to rest, talk things over with each other and the coaches, and be ready for tomorrow.”
It was only Pearly-Thinaah’s third win over Matsuyama-Shida in 16 meetings but by far the most important of their careers.
Pearly admitted her first thought at the end was making sure her partner was all right.
“Actually, I was just worried about her. I wanted to make sure she was okay. We just keep supporting and trusting each other, and that’s what matters most.
“In the third game both sides were nervous, but our communication was very good. I think we managed to stay calm and that helped us stay composed.”
The Malaysians will now face either China‘s world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning or Japan’s Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in Sunday’s final.
“The approach will be the same,” said Thinaah.
“We don’t want to think too much about who the opponents are. Our focus will be on ourselves — discussing what’s not working smoothly, coming up with solutions together, and keeping calm and consistent.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
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