KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama) — Malaysia's top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan- M. Thinaah took just 38 minutes to defeat world number three Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning to claim the 2024 Hong Kong Open title at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon today.
In the Super 500 final, Pearly-Thinaah fought valiantly to secure victory in straight sets, 21-14, 21-14.
This triumph marked the end of the world eight ranked pair's title drought in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar, with their last victory coming at the 2022 French Open.
It also saw them rise from their runner-up finish at the 2023 Hong Kong Open to champions this year.
Even more impressive, this is the third time the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists have defeated this Chinese pair in seven encounters, having last lost to them in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Japan Open last month.
Pearly-Thinaah deserve credit for rediscovering their ‘magical touch,’ as this was their second consecutive final appearance after finishing as runners-up at the 2024 Korea Open, where they were defeated by home pair Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong.
Yesterday, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah battled for over an hour to book their spot in the final, defeating South Korean pair Baek Ha Na- Lee So Hee, 22-20, 17-21, 21-15.
Meanwhile, Thinaah said that the victory was an early gift to the Malaysian fans in conjunction with Malaysia Day 2024 tomorrow, as they had previously missed the chance to claim the Korea Open 2024 title for the National Day celebration at the end of last month.
“We never really though about it (the first Malaysian women's pair to win the doubles title at the Hong Kong Open) so we are really happy. It helps us (to be more) confident (in the future).
“(At match point) I think both of us were thinking about the same thing, finish the game faster.However, we did silly mistakes which we should not have but we will take note and be more cautious (in future) ,” she said through an audio shared by BWF, today.
Pearly also acknowledged that good communication was the 'key’ to today's victory and hopes that the excellent momentum can continue in the upcoming tournaments.
— BERNAMA
