Pearly feels 'like myself again' ahead of World Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: Women's doubles ace Pearly Tan has reassured her fans that she is starting to feel like herself again - a timely boost for her medal bid with M. Thinaah at the World Championships, which began in New Delhi on Monday.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's women's doubles star Pearly Tan has expressed that she is beginning to feel like herself again, a welcome sight for her medal aspirations at the World Championships kicking off in New Delhi on Monday. Pearly, ranked globally at No. 5, has been grappling with a back injury since April, which has hampered the Malaysian pair's performance, with their best finish being a second-place at the Super 300 Taiwan Open.
Nevertheless, the duo has been diligently working towards overcoming their fitness woes identified by Pearly as their "kryptonite." In a motivational Instagram post, Pearly shared her sentiment, "Not every day has been easy, but I'm starting to feel a little more like myself again, and honestly, I'm so grateful for that." She extended her gratitude to her admirers for their support during the challenging period, emphasizing the positive energy that kept her going.
Pearly acknowledged the importance of returning to the fundamentals, including ample rest, adequate sleep, and a slowed-down routine. She is optimistic about her recovery, stating, "I'm happy to say that I'm slowly feeling lighter, better, and more like myself again. I know I'm not completely there yet, but I'm getting there, one day at a time."
The Malaysian pair will face a tough preliminary round against either Turkey's Bengisu Ercetin-Nazlican Inci or UAE's Mysha Omer Khan-Taabia Khan on Wednesday. They might encounter Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari in the last-16, followed by a potential quarter-final clash with South Korea's Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee.
While they have managed to avoid facing China's defending champions Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning until the final round, their path to the medal rounds may still be arduous. On the other hand, debutant Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee advanced to the second round after defeating Ukraine's Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr 21-17, 21-13 in just 33 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Monday.
However, the Malaysian world No. 23 will need to overcome a formidable challenge against Japan's world No. 2 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto on Wednesday.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
