Rexy expects medal from Pearly-Thinaah at worlds

Coach Rexy Mainaky praised the Malaysian women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah for achieving their career-best world No. 2 ranking, a milestone that strengthens their medal hopes at the upcoming Paris World Championships (Aug 25–31).

Currently ranked No. 3, Pearly-Thinaah will officially move up a spot when the weekly world rankings are released on Tuesday. This achievement ensures they will be seeded second in Paris, offering them a clearer path toward their first-ever world medal.

“Breaking into the world No. 2 ranking is not easy. They battled many top pairs from China, South Korea, and Japan. It required extra effort and full commitment,” said Rexy, the national doubles coaching director.

Rexy also highlighted that this success was a team effort, involving the players, coaches, management, and support staff. He hopes Pearly-Thinaah can maintain their momentum and bring home a medal from Paris.

Strategic Advantage at the World Championships

By securing the No. 2 seed, Pearly-Thinaah will avoid facing China’s world No. 1 pair Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning until the finals. However, they could meet China’s world No. 7 Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian, who hold a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over the Malaysians, before the semi-finals.

Stellar Season So Far

Pearly-Thinaah have been impressive on the World Tour this season, winning the Thailand Open, finishing as runners-up at the Indonesia Open and Japan Open, and making the semi-finals at both the Malaysia Masters and China Open.

Their world No. 2 ranking now cements them as top contenders for a place on the podium at the World Championships.