KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 —Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah fell short of reaching the final of the Malaysia Masters 2025 after losing to China’s Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian in their semi-final clash at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today.
Despite playing in front of home supporters and riding on the momentum of their Thailand Open win last week, the duo were unable to maintain consistency in their game and had to concede defeat 16-21, 21-15, 14-21.
This marks the second consecutive loss for Tan-Thinaah to the same Chinese pair, having also lost to them at the Orleans Masters 2025 in March.
“For today’s match we feel disappointed, but we will not dwell on it for long. We really gave our best and we did quite well,” Tan told the press afterwards.
She described Jia as having great game variety, particularly in controlling the backcourt, while Zhang is an aggressive net player, making them a well-synchronised women's doubles pair.
The defeat extends Tan-Thinaah’s Malaysia Masters heartbreak, with their last final appearance in this tournament being in the 2023 edition, where they lost to South Korea’s Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee 20-22, 21-8, 17-21 in an epic 101-minute battle.
Meanwhile, the duo remain tight-lipped about their future with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) after reports emerged that their contract ended late last year.
“No comment. We have a tournament coming up. We do not really have time, so no comment on this,” Tan said.
Tan-Thinaah are next scheduled to face Hong Kong’s Lui Lok Lok-Tsang Hiu Yan in the first round of the Singapore Open 2025, which will take place from Tuesday (May 27) to June 1.
— Bernama
