KUALA LUMPUR – It was a case of so near yet so far for Malaysia at the Japan Open as national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, along with men’s duo Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, fell at the final hurdle today.
Pearly and Thinaah, who had a superb run throughout the tournament, could not convert their form into a golden finish, falling 21-15, 21-14 to world No. 1s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China in the final in Tokyo.
National women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak admitted the better pair won on the day, but credited his charges for a commendable week.
“We lost to the better pair today,” said Rosman.
“Pearly and Thinaah tried to vary their shots, but they made too many simple mistakes.
“The Chinese pair were very consistent in both defence and attack. Still, Pearly and Thinaah played very well throughout the week. The progress is ongoing, and they’re trying to stay positive for one more week in China,” he added.
The Malaysians, who recently signed new long-term contracts with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), are expected to continue their campaign at the Super 1000 China Open this coming week.
Rosman stressed that recovery will now be the top priority before the next tournament.
Meanwhile, in the men’s doubles final, independent pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani also came up short, losing 21-18, 21-17 to South Korea’s in-form pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.
The result not only ended the Malaysians’ title defence but will see them surrender the world No. 1 ranking to the Koreans in the next update.
The duo will have a quick chance to bounce back at the China Open, where they will again enter the fray as defending champions. – July 20, 2025