Pearly-Thinaah lose French Open final after Japan pair rally
The Malaysian world No. 4 pair fell short of a second consecutive World Tour title after winning the Denmark Open.
Malaysia's Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah finished runners-up at the French Open after Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto of Japan recovered from an opening-game loss to beat them 10-21, 21-17, 21-16 at Arena Grand Paris.
The victory for the Japanese world No. 3 pair ended the Malaysians' attempt to follow their Denmark Open success with another World Tour title.
Speaking to the Badminton World Federation after the match, Pearly said fatigue had affected their movement. She said their opponents maintained their speed into the deciding game, while the Malaysians slowed down, contributing to the defeat.
Thinaah credited a change in the Japanese pair's tactics for shifting the match. She said pressure early in the second game gave Fukushima-Matsumoto a sizeable advantage, and the Malaysians' late recovery attempt could not erase it.
Pearly nevertheless said the European tournaments had helped them regain momentum. The pair will return home for a short break before resuming training, with their next tournament about a week and a half away.
