National women’s doubles chief Rosman Razak said it is reasonable for fans to have high expectations for Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah at the Thailand SEA Games. Speaking at the team’s send-off at the Academy Badminton Malaysia, Rosman highlighted that the gold target for the world No. 2 pair is justified given their ranking and consistency.
“We accept the expectations but not to the point of pressure. This is their first SEA Games, and they are motivated to do their best,” he said.
BAM has set a four-gold target for the Malaysian team, with national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky naming Pearly-Thinaah as safe bets for gold. However, Rosman cautioned against underestimating competition from Indonesia’s young pairs, Rachel Rose-Febi Setianingrum and Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, despite Pearly-Thinaah holding favourable head-to-head records.
“Even with strong head-to-heads, matches against Indonesian juniors often go to rubber. We must remain cautious and focused against all opponents,” added Rosman.
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