KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — National women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan quest for the India Open title has been stopped by Japanese pair Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto.
The semifinal match at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex saw Fukushima-Matsumoto beat Pearly-Thinaah 21-16, 21-13 in 46 minutes.
Thinaah said Fukushima-Matsumoto’s agility managed to weaken their defence, which made the opponents’ attacks more effective.
“I think in this match, the opponents really put pressure on us through their attacks. This is something we need to pay attention to and be more vigilant, especially when the opponent plays at a faster tempo.
“At that time, we need to be more sensitive in defence, as well as being more aggressive and bolder in the game,” she told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after the match today.
The defeat was a repeat of last year’s India Open, which also saw Pearly-Thinaah stranded in the semifinals.
Pearly-Thinaah will next play in the Indonesian Masters at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, with a clash with US pair Francesca Corbett-Jennie Gai in the first round.
