KUALA LUMPUR: Injury has again dealt a cruel blow to national women's doubles player Pearly Tan.
The 23-year-old and her world No 12 partner, M.Thinaah, were forced to retire in the Singapore Open first round today against Japan's Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi.
Pearly suffered an elbow injury during the match.
The Malaysians were trailing 21-13, 17-21, 16-9 when they conceded.
Women's doubles coach Hoon Thien How said early assessment showed no serious complications in Pearly's injury.
The National Sports Institute's (NSI) medical team will monitor Pearly before deciding on her participation in next week's Indonesia Open.
"Early diagnosis by the NSI medical team showed that Pearly outstretched her elbow and suffered a minor strain. This happened in the first game around the 11th point mark," said Thien How.
With the one-year Olympic qualifiers in full swing, the latest injury comes as a big blow to the top Malaysian pair, who have met several setbacks this season.
Earlier this year, Pearly suffered from mental burnout before being afflicted by flu, which forced her and Thinaah to skip the Asian Championships in Dubai in April.
Prior to the Sudirman Cup in China last month, Pearly skipped the simulation President's Cup due to a minor neck injury. Fortunately, Pearly recovered in time and inspired Malaysia to the mixed team semi-finals.
Last year, Pearly was out for nearly six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury at the Japan Open. Despite the adversities, the Kedah-born shuttler bounced back to win the French Open with Thinaah last year.
Following Pearly-Thinaah's exit from the Singapore Open, Malaysia's interest in the women's doubles has also come to an end.