KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles coach Hoon Thien How has stated that his protégés, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, should not feel pressured ahead of their opening Group A match at the Paris Olympics tomorrow.
Instead, the focus should be on their opponents, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan.
This can be likened to a David versus Goliath battle, considering that the Chinese pair not only comes in as the top seed of the tournament and the world’s number one pair but also as the silver medalists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Moreover, based on their match record, out of the seven previous encounters, six have been won by the Chinese pair.
However, just as in the fable where David defeated the mighty Goliath, Thien How hopes that Pearly and Thinaah can replicate their sole victory over the Chinese pair from the All England quarter-finals last March.
“Previously, they had fought them and had also achieved victories. They should not put themselves under pressure or get involved in anything unrelated, they just need to play their game and give a strong fight.
“At the moment, all the matches in the group stage are seen as difficult because all the pairs are very strong. So I hope Pearly and Thinaah can show their best performance.
“Right now, people see them as the lowest-ranked pair (world number 9) in the group stage. So I see that Pearly and Thinaah have nothing to lose. They just need to translate their hard work onto the court on match day,” said Thien How to Scoop.
In addition to Qingchen and Yifan, Group A, which has been dubbed the “Group of Death,” also features world number six pair Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, as well as the ninth-ranked duo Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.
Only the top two pairs from the group stage will advance to the quarter-finals.
Alongside Pearly and Thinaah, two other Malaysian representatives will be in action tomorrow at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will compete against Singapore’s Terry Hee and Jessica in Group D.
Meanwhile, men’s doubles ace Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik will face Ben Lane and Sean Vendy from Great Britain in Group A. – July 26, 2024