Women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah may head into the Indonesia Masters as favourites on paper, but national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has cautioned that success in Jakarta will not come easily.
Rexy stressed that the immediate focus for the world No. 2 pair is not the title itself, but rediscovering their confidence as the Super 500 tournament gets underway on Tuesday.
Confidence the Key Focus
Pearly-Thinaah are coming off a challenging run, having suffered their third consecutive defeat to Japan’s Yuki Fukushima–Mayu Matsumoto. The world No. 6 Japanese duo defeated the Malaysians in straight games in the India Open semi-finals in New Delhi last Saturday.
That setback followed an earlier disappointment at the Malaysia Open, where Pearly-Thinaah were shocked by Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma–Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, ranked world No. 43, in the second round.
“We need to encourage Pearly-Thinaah to regain their confidence. That is the first step towards getting them back to their normal level,” said Rexy.
“Other top 10 pairs are not playing at the Indonesia Masters, but we shouldn’t look too far ahead.”
Familiar Start to the Season
Interestingly, the 2026 season has begun in a similar pattern to last year for Pearly-Thinaah. In 2025, they exited early at the Malaysia Open, reached the semi-finals in India, and then went on to finish runners-up at the Indonesia Masters.
This year, with several top-10 pairs absent, the Malaysians appear well-placed again. Taiwan’s Su Yin Hui–Lin Jhih Yun, ranked world No. 13, are the second-highest ranked pair in Jakarta, and Pearly-Thinaah have usually thrived in such scenarios.
Lingering Japanese Challenge
However, their recent struggles against Fukushima–Matsumoto remain a concern. In addition to the India Open defeat, Pearly-Thinaah also lost twice to the Japanese pair at the World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou last month. Those results are likely to weigh on their minds as they prepare to compete at the iconic Istora Senayan.
Opening Matches for Malaysians
Top seeds Pearly-Thinaah will begin their campaign against Americans Francesca Corbett–Jennie Gai on Tuesday, a pairing they previously defeated at the China Masters last year.
Malaysia will also be represented by world No. 25 Carmen Ting–Ong Xin Yee, who face Japan’s Kaho Osawa–Mai Tanabe (world No. 22) in their opening-round match.
As the Indonesia Masters unfolds, all eyes will be on whether Pearly-Thinaah can rediscover their spark and translate their top seeding into a long-awaited title in Jakarta.
