KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s No. 1 women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah kept their cool in one of badminton’s most intense atmospheres to check into the quarter-finals of the Super 1000 Indonesia Open, overcoming home favourites Lanny Tria Mayasari and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti in a gritty 18-21, 21-16, 21-17 win at the Istora Senayan today.
The world No. 4 Malaysians, who have had a couple of close encounters with the Indonesian duo in the past, admitted it was never going to be easy – especially in front of the famously passionate home crowd.
The crowd at the Istora is legendary for its intensity, often unnerving visiting players.
“We knew we were up against not just the players, but the whole stadium,” Thinaah told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“Still, we reminded ourselves that there were fans supporting us too – and we held onto that.”
Despite the tight match up, Pearly noted that she and Thinaah prevailed because they wanted to win badly.
“We’re both a bit tired, but we kept communicating, kept encouraging each other. We really wanted to win and believed in ourselves and the team,” she said.
Pearly and Thinaah, who are in the middle of a contract standoff with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), will face last week’s Singapore Open finalists Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan next.
The Japanese duo had earlier downed another national pair Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting 21-15, 21-16 in the second round.
Meanwhile in the men’s doubles, Malaysia Masters champions Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun marched on after seeing off compatriots Wan Arif Wan Junaidi and Yap Roy King 14-21, 21-11, 21-15. The seventh seeds will take on reigning Asian Games champions and former world No. 1s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India in the last eight.
Current world No. 1s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani also advanced to the next round after seeing off fellow independents Nur Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong 21-14, 16-21, 21-14.
Sze Fei and Izzuddin face local pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani next.
In the mixed doubles, Malaysia’s No. 1 and No. 2 pairing Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, as well as Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, both reached the quarter-finals today.
Playing in only their second tournament since reuniting, Tang Jie and Ee Wei scored a comfortable 21-9, 21-12 win over Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch in the last 16. The world No. 4 Malaysians will face another Danish duo Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund tomorrow.
Soon Huat and Shevon on the other hand ousted homesters Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah 21-12, 21-17 to set a quarter-final date with Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. – June 5, 2025