Pearly Tan believes she is finally getting back to her best as she prepares to lead Malaysia's women's doubles challenge alongside M. Thinaah at the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi.
The world No. 5 pair will arrive at the tournament hoping to improve on the silver medal they won last year, with Pearly's recent recovery providing an important boost to their preparations.
Pearly has been managing a recurring back injury since April, which has affected her partnership with Thinaah throughout the season. Their best result so far came at the Super 300 Taiwan Open, where they finished runners-up.
The Malaysian has spent the past three weeks focusing heavily on her recovery and rebuilding her fitness. She recently described the back problem as one of the biggest obstacles she and Thinaah have faced this season.
In a message shared ahead of the World Championships, Pearly said she was beginning to feel like herself again after a difficult period.
"Not every day has been easy, but I'm finally starting to feel a little more like myself again, and honestly, I'm so grateful for that," she said.
Pearly has also stressed the importance of listening to her body, getting enough rest and returning to the fundamentals of her game. That approach appears to have paid off, allowing her to enter the World Championships with greater confidence in her physical condition.
The road to another medal, however, will be anything but straightforward.
Source: NST
Pearly and Thinaah received a first-round bye and will begin their campaign in the second round against either Turkiye's world No. 22 Bengisu Ercetin and Nazlican Inci or the United Arab Emirates' Mysha Omer Khan and Taabia Khan.
A potential last-16 meeting against Indonesia's world No. 13 Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari could then await them, before a possible quarter-final clash with South Korea's world No. 3 Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee.
The Malaysians have avoided China's world No. 1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning until a potential final, but their route to the medal rounds remains packed with dangerous opponents.
Malaysia will also have another women's doubles pair to watch in New Delhi after debutants Carmen Ting and Ong Xin Yee made an impressive start.
The world No. 23 Malaysians defeated Ukraine's world No. 27 Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr 21-17, 21-13 in just 33 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium to reach the second round.
Their reward is a major test against Japan's world No. 2 Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
The match will give the young Malaysians an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the world's leading partnerships, while also gaining valuable experience on the biggest stage.
With Pearly and Thinaah aiming to challenge for another world medal and Ting and Ong gaining their first taste of World Championships competition, Malaysia's women's doubles campaign has plenty of reasons for optimism. For Pearly in particular, feeling healthy again could make all the difference as she looks to rediscover the form that made her and Thinaah one of the most dangerous pairs in the world.
