Sports & Fitness

M’sia Masters: Pearly-Thinaah, Yew Sin-Ee Yi enter second round

First-round exit for women’s doubles Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien

Updated 3 years ago · Published on 23 May 2023 7:59PM

M’sia Masters: Pearly-Thinaah, Yew Sin-Ee Yi enter second round — Having been knocked out of the 2023 Malaysia Open first round by the Stoeva sisters earlier this year, Pearly Tan (left) and M. Thinaah (right) now have the leg up in the head-to-head, winning two of their three past meetings. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, May 23, 2023

by Saktesh Subramaniam

KUALA LUMPUR – It was sweet revenge for national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as they defeated Bulgarian sisters Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva in the opening round of the 2023 Malaysia Masters.

At the Axiata Arena, it took the world number 11 Malaysian pair 40 minutes to advance into the second round tomorrow.

Having been knocked out of the 2023 Malaysia Open first round by the Stoeva sisters earlier this year, Pearly-Thinaah now have the leg up in the head-to-head, winning two of their three past meetings.

Pearly Tan (left) and M. Thinaah have taken just 40 minutes to sweep past the Bulgarian Stoeva sisters in the first round of the Malaysia Masters. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, May 23, 2023

“We are happy because we lost to them when we played them here the last time. This is a good start to the tournament, and we hope we can continue with our current momentum,” said the pair after their match.

Facing Japan’s Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto in the second round on Thursday, Pearly said preparation in advance is needed.

“Japanese players are more consistent, and their physical abilities are tough. We have to be more mentally prepared when facing Japanese players,” she said.

Meanwhile, men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi also made it into the second round after they won against China’s Ren Xiang Yu-Tan Qiang 21-16, 21-18.

Men’s doubles duo Ong Yew Sin (right) and Teo Ee Yi are into the second round of the Malaysia Masters after beating China’s Ren Xiang Yu-Tan Qiang. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, May 23, 2023

The eighth-seed Malaysian duo have now won twice against their Chinese opponents, with the first win coming in the first round of the Super 1000 Malaysia Open.

They did admit that their hectic schedule since returning from China after the Sudirman Cup yesterday has left them with insufficient sleep.

“We are tired because we have not had enough sleep since returning. But this is not something only we face. Everyone goes through this, so it is not an excuse,” they said.

Men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin (left) and Teo Ee Yi say they are not getting enough sleep due to their recent hectic schedule. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, May 23, 2023

Yew Sin-Ee Yi will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han in the second round.

The Malaysian won their recent clash at the Sudirman Cup Group C match and evened the head-to-head score at 3-3.

Meanwhile, it was a first-round exit for women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien as they crashed out today after failing to make it past Denmark’s Maiken Fruergaard-Sara Thygesen 21-13, 21-18. – The Vibes, May 23, 2023