KUALA LUMPUR – Major upset for Malaysian badminton fans as world number 10 pair Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan were knocked out by 33rd ranked Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu of China 21-19, 21-14.
The national pair failed to make it into the quarter-finals tomorrow here at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
They told reporters after their loss that their opponents played a better match as their tactics gave them the edge.
“They read our game well, we were too impatient and that caused the defeat for us.
“They had the wind behind them in the second set, which made it difficult for us as we kept defending, which was our mistake.
The draft in the arena has been a talking point among shuttlers and may have voiced out that the wind has been affecting the field of play.
“Moving forward, we need to stick to our aggressive gameplay style and stay calm,” they said.
Meanwhile, world number five Carolina Marin was defeated by 29th seed Dane Line Kjaersfeldt 21-19, 19-21, 21-13.
This was the 11th meeting between the two with 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallist Marin winning the previous 10.
Speaking to reporters after her long-awaited win, Kjaersfeldt was clearly filled with joy as she managed to take down one of the best players in the world.
“I really cannot describe the feeling, I am just very happy. I was down 10-0 against her (Marin), but I tried so hard so many times, and now I am beyond happy,” she said.
She addressed that Marin had recently recovered from an injury, which gave her the chance to finally win.
“She has been at a high level with her speed and movement. But now she is not in her best shape after coming back from an injury, so I knew this was my best chance.”
After winning this match and defeating world number eight Ratchanok Intanon two weeks ago at the Indonesian Open, Kjaersfeldt feels she is ready to be compared amongst the world’s best.
“I know that the women’s field is very strong, but I have shown that I am also a strong competitor and others should watch out for me,” she added.
World number three South Korean An Se Young was also knocked out by 23rd seed Han Yue of China 21-23, 21-18, 21-16.
Fourth seed Taiwanese men’s shuttler Chou Tien Chen also exited the tournament at the hand of Thomas Cup winner H. S. Prannoy after the Indian won 21-15, 21-7. – The Vibes, June 30, 2022.
