PEARLY-THINAAH FALL AT SEMI-FINAL STAGE OF WORLD TOUR FINALS 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah saw their World Tour Finals 2025 campaign come to an end after bowing out at the semi-final stage following a 61-minute battle in Hangzhou, China today.

The SEA Games Thailand 2025 gold medallists went down 19-21, 13-21 to Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima–Mayu Matsumoto, marking a second successive defeat to the same opponents after also losing to them in the Group A final match, yesterday.

Despite the disappointment, Thinaah said they had put in strong effort and intensity but admitted their defensive play fell short against the Japanese duo.

“I think for now we just want to discuss again on today’s game with coaches and then rest well.

“We might take one or two days off first before we start back our training for the Malaysia Open because it’s not far off. So we want to take all this as a lesson and also move on and become stronger,” she said.

Pearly echoed the same sentiments acknowledging that their defensive consistency remains an area requiring further improvement through continued training.

Nevertheless, she expressed heartfelt appreciation to the fans who have stood firmly behind them throughout the season, sharing what she described as a “rollercoaster ride” by celebrating victories and enduring defeats together over the course of the year.

Meanwhile, Fukushima-Matsumoto will face either South Korea’s Baek Ha Na–Lee So Hee or China’s Liu Sheng Shu–Tan Ning in the final.

-- BERNAMA