Pearly-Thinaah through to Asian Games semis, assured of medal

Malaysia’s badminton team is one step closer to securing a bronze medal at the Asian Games after Pearly Tan-M Thinaah claimed a victory over India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in the women’s doubles semi-final. The Malaysian duo triumphed 21-18, 21-9 in a span of just 40 minutes, showcasing their dominance and securing their place in the latter stages of the competition.

This win marks Pearly-Thinaah’s seventh triumph over the Indian pair in their nine encounters, demonstrating their formidable consistency against this formidable opponent. The pair has a strong track record in Asian Games matches, having won all of their matches so far in straight sets. Their victory over the Indian duo also extends their winning streak to seven games against them.

However, the Malaysian team faces a challenging task ahead as they will be up against China’s top-ranked and world No 1 doubles pair, Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning and Tan Ning, in their semi-final. This marks a significant step up for Pearly-Thinaah, who previously only made it to the quarter-finals during the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.

Malaysia's men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, will be competing in their quarter-final match later on today against China’s world No 3 pair, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.