Former national coach Datuk James Selvaraj has urged Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah to strike the perfect balance between belief and composure at the upcoming World Championships in Paris (Aug 25–31).
The world No. 2 women’s doubles pair have been handed a favourable path, starting with a projected third-round meeting against Indonesia’s Lanny Tria Mayasari–Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, a duo they lead 2–1 in head-to-heads.
A quarter-final could pit them against Japan’s world No. 8 Yuki Fukushima–Mayu Matsumoto, whom they have beaten four times this year. The semis could see a clash with either Japan’s world No. 3 Nami Matsuyama–Chiharu Shida or South Korea’s world No. 5 Kim Hye Jeong–Kong Hee Yong. Matsuyama–Shida still hold a dominant 13–2 record over the Malaysians, but Pearly–Thinaah ended a seven-match losing streak against them at the Japan Open last month. The Koreans, however, have beaten them in all three past encounters.
“If the path is clear to the semi-finals, they must play with confidence,” James said. “They’ve beaten some of these pairs before, so it’s possible — but they must not be overconfident. That’s when trouble comes.”
In mixed doubles, world No. 6 Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai are on track for a third-round clash with compatriots Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin before a potential quarter-final against China’s world No. 2 Jiang Zhen Bang–Wei Ya Xin.
World No. 4 Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei could face Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah–Felisha Pasaribu in round three, with a possible quarter-final showdown against Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man–Tse Ying Suet for a spot in the semis.
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