Pearly-Thinaah Move Into Indonesia Open Final After Hard-Fought Victory Over Chinese Pair

By MOHD ISWANDI KASAN ANUAR

JAKARTA, June 7 (Bernama) -- National women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah advanced to the final of the Indonesia Open after defeating fifth seeds from China, Li Yi Jing-Luo Xu Min, in their semi-final match on Saturday.

The pair, currently ranked 4th in the world, displayed composure in the deciding set, overcoming the 6th-ranked Chinese duo with excellent play and solid communication, before finishing with a 21-12, 17-21, 21-11 victory.

They also received strong cheers throughout the 64-minute match from the hostile crowd in the arena at Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta.

"We are very happy because we managed to change the rhythm of the game to our advantage. We supported each other and communicated well, which greatly helped our win today," said Pearly.

The pair also expressed satisfaction but believe there is still much room for improvement heading into their second final appearance in Indonesia.

Pearly and Thinaah succumbed to South Korean pair Kong Hee Yong-Kim Hye Jeon in the final of the Indonesia Masters last January during a three-set encounter 12-21, 21-17, 18-21.

"For now, we want to get enough rest, discuss with our coach, and focus on recovery," she added.

Pearly and Thinaah will face either world number 1 pair Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning from China or world number 3 ranked Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee from South Korea, who will be playing tonight.

Earlier, national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were stranded in the semi-finals after losing to Thailand's Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh, 21-23, 21-15, 21-11.

"Meanwhile, luck did not favour national mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who were stranded in the semi-finals after losing to Thai pair Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh, 21-23, 21-15, 21-11 in three exciting sets.

The aspiration of national men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun to advance to the final also did not materialise after they lost to home favourites Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.

The Indonesia Masters champions earlier this year struggled to match the rhythm of their opponents, ranked eighth in the world, going down 21-18, 12-21, 21-18 in a fierce battle that lasted 22 minutes and 19 seconds.

--BERNAMA