Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah win the French Open title, the first for a Malaysian women’s doubles pair
Two months after stunning the world when they clinched gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Malaysian women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah smashed their way to winning the French Open in Paris on October 30, 2022.
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In a nail-biting match that lasted 72 minutes, Pearly and Thinaah displayed their fighting spirit and stole the show in a thrilling 21-19, 18-21, 21-15 final against Japanese pair, two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara. Not only did the pair make history by becoming the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to win a French Open title since the tournament's inception in 1908, this also marks Pearly and Thinaah’s biggest title win in their career.
The closest a Malaysian women's doubles got to the title were Wong Pei Tty and Chin Eei Hui back in 2008, when they emerged as runners-up.
Shortly after bagging their first-ever individual gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, a heroic win that helped Malaysia surpass its six-gold target, Pearly sustained a hamstring injury at the Japan Open which put her out of commission for nearly two months.
Indeed, Malaysian badminton fans watched with dismay as she was forced to retire from the game and made a tearful exit off the court in the Osaka stadium in a wheelchair.
There were initial fears that the 22-year-old Kedah-born shuttler wouldn’t recover in time for the World Tour tournament. However, with a solid rehabilitation plan, a positive mindset, and support from Thinaah, she returned to form, culminating in a sensational win against the more experienced opponents at the French Open.
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Coach Hoon Thien How praised the duo for their mental strength, which helped them maintain their composure throughout the final match. "It was Pearly-Thinaah's first World Tour final of the year but mentally they were very strong. This is a really good win for them. Hopefully, they can get even better in tournaments after this," he was quoted as saying.
