Malaysia’s women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah moved into the Denmark Open quarter-finals after defeating Hong Kong’s Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam in the second round in Odense.
The world No. 5 and second-seeded Malaysians secured a 21-12, 21-19 victory in 44 minutes, extending their unbeaten head-to-head record against the Hong Kong pair to 3-0. The result also marked their first appearance in the Denmark Open quarter-finals.
Pearly and Thinaah will now face India’s world No. 18 pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela for a place in the semi-finals. The Indians booked their quarter-final spot by defeating Indonesia’s fifth seeds Rachel Allessya Rose and Febi Setianingrum 21-16, 21-17.
The Malaysians hold a 7-2 advantage in their head-to-head meetings with Treesa and Gayatri. Their most recent encounter at the Asian Games ended in a convincing 21-18, 21-9 win for Pearly and Thinaah, giving the Malaysian pair reason for confidence ahead of the rematch.
A victory would take Pearly and Thinaah into their first Denmark Open semi-final and provide a boost as they look to finish the season strongly. They were runners-up at the Chinese Taipei Open but suffered a third-round exit at the World Championships and a second-round defeat at the China Masters. The pair have also collected a silver medal at the World Championships and bronze at the Asian Games this season.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s independent mixed doubles combination Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai bowed out after losing to Danish third seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje.
The world No. 10 Malaysians went down 21-7, 21-18 in a 32-minute match. They struggled to establish their rhythm in the opening game before putting up a closer fight in the second, but the Danish pair maintained their advantage to seal the win.
The defeat ended Soon Huat and Shevon’s hopes of adding to their previous Denmark Open runs, which included semi-final appearances in 2017 and 2022. It was also their third consecutive early tournament exit, leaving the experienced pair with work to do as they seek to regain consistency.
