KUCHING: Pearly Tan marked her return from injury with a hard-fought 51-minute comeback victory after reuniting with M. Thinaah at the Singapore Open 2026.
The Malaysian women’s doubles pair battled past Taiwan’s Hu Ling Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh 20-22, 21-16, 21-15 to book their place in the next round of the Super 750 tournament.
Returning for the first time since April after recovering from a back injury, Pearly initially looked rusty as the Malaysians struggled to settle into their usual tempo early in the match.
Having missed both the Uber Cup and Malaysia Masters, the national pair took time to rediscover their rhythm against the aggressive Taiwanese duo.
Ling Fang and Yu Chieh capitalised quickly in the opening set, surging ahead through sharp attacking exchanges while repeatedly disrupting the Malaysians’ rotations.
Still, Pearly and Thinaah slowly clawed their way back into the contest after the interval through better communication and tighter defensive coverage.
Despite the late fightback, the Malaysians narrowly dropped the opening set 22-20.
But momentum slowly began shifting afterwards.
The second game saw Pearly and Thinaah rediscover the chemistry that had long anchored their partnership, with sharper attacking transitions and stronger front-court pressure gradually overwhelming the Taiwanese pair.
As confidence returned, the Malaysians dictated longer stretches of the rallies before levelling the match 21-16.
By the deciding set, Pearly and Thinaah had fully settled back into rhythm.
Relentless drives, faster interceptions and confident net play eventually allowed the Malaysians to pull away before sealing the comeback victory 21-15.
