Kuala Lumpur: Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan of Malaysia have advanced to the final of the 2023 Malaysia Masters after an impressive performance in the semi-finals on Saturday. The duo, ranked 11th in the world, defeated the World No. 5 South Korean pair of Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong in an hour and 33-minute match, winning 21-19 and 23-21.
Highlights of Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan vs. Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong in the 2023 Malaysia Masters semi-finals:
(video: Astro Arena)
They will face another South Korean pair, Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee in the final. Baek/Lee defeated the Japanese pair of Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara 21-19, 21-14 in the other semi-final match.
Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan showed strong mental strength in the first set, as they managed to come back from 4-10, 12-16 to win 21-19.
The Malaysian pair once again got off to a slow start in the second set as they were trailing 2-12. But they kept their focus, winning one point at a time to eventually take the second game 23-21.
“This feels like a dream come true for both of us, especially after some really tiring matches. We were able to come back from behind thanks to our fans who gave us a lot of motivation and support,” said Tan.
After being stuck in the semi-finals of the Indian Open, Indonesian Masters, and German Open, the Malaysia Masters will be their first final of the 2023 season.
In the women’s singles final, Akane Yamaguchi will take on Gregoria Mariska Tunjung while Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping of China will face Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand in the mixed doubles final.
