[UPDATED] All England: Pearly-Thinaah make early exit after first round defeat

KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah failed to make it past the first round of the All England Open Championships after they lost to Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara 21-13, 15-21, 21-15 today. 

The 2022 Commonwealth Games champions fought back to take the match to a third set but were unable to stop the world number 11 Japanese pair, who held their ground to advance into the second round of the tournament at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. 

Seventh seeded Pearly-Thinaah had won the previous two meetings against their Japanese opponents, with the most recent win coming at the German Open quarter-finals where they won 21-17, 18-21, 21-11. 

However, Pearly-Thinaah did not make it to the German Open final, as they were beaten by another Japanese pair, Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida 24-22, 21-13 in the semifinal. 

Meanwhile, mixed-doubles team Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei also bowed out of the prestigious tournament after they were defeated by Japanese pair Yuki Kaneko-Misaki Matsumoto 21-19, 22-24, 21-17. 

Ranked 36th, Tang Jie-Ee Wei were no match for their 16th seed opponents, who will now face national shuttlers Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in the second round.

Kian Meng-Pei Jing defeated Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari 21-19, 21-18. – The Vibes, March 14, 2023