Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah may have missed out on helping Malaysia end its 64-year wait for an Asian Games women's team medal, but their victory over South Korea's world champions provided a much-needed confidence boost.
Malaysia suffered a 3-1 defeat to defending champions South Korea in the quarter-finals at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi on Tuesday, September 22. However, Pearly-Thinaah delivered the team's only point with an impressive straight-games victory over Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee.
The Malaysian pair, ranked among the world's best, defeated the world No. 2 combination 22-20, 21-17 to level the tie at 1-1 after K. Letshanaa lost 21-12, 21-8 to world No. 1 An Se-young.
The win marked Pearly and Thinaah's first victory over Baek and Lee in two years, with their previous success coming at the 2024 Hong Kong Open. It also offered some redemption after the South Korean duo defeated them in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
More importantly, the result arrived at a crucial point in Pearly-Thinaah's season. The Malaysian pair have experienced difficulties with their form in recent months, making the victory a valuable source of confidence before the individual event begins on Friday, September 25.
Their improvement also reflected the coaching team's decision to revisit footage of some of their strongest performances before the Asian Games, helping the pair rediscover elements of their earlier form.
While Malaysia's team campaign ended in disappointment, another Malaysian pairing also showed determination in the women's doubles event. Cheng Su Yin and Low Zi Yu, who were paired together at the last minute, pushed South Korea's Kim Hye-jeong and Jeong Na-eun to the limit before losing 18-21, 21-11, 22-24.
Su Yin had not competed in women's doubles for three years, making the performance alongside the 16-year-old Zi Yu a notable effort despite the narrow defeat.
Pearly-Thinaah will now turn their attention to the individual competition, where they will look to build on their victory and carry their renewed confidence into the next stage of the Asian Games.
