KUALA LUMPUR: Women's pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah shook off their Olympic fatigue to get a winning start at the Japan Open in Kanagawa on Wednesday.
Pearly-Thinaah, fresh from their fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics a fortnight ago, overcame Taiwan's new combination Jheng Yu Chieh-Hu Ling Fang 21-17, 22-24, 21-11 in a 58-minute battle at Yokohama Arena.
The victory was particularly impressive for the world No. 10 duo, given the quick turnaround from the Olympics to this Super 750 event, leaving little time for preparation.
Despite the demanding schedule, Pearly-Thinaah see an opportunity to climb the rankings in the absences of some top pairs. They're also set to compete in the Korea Open next week, underlining their ambition.
Their recent Olympic performance helped propel them back into the world's top 10 last week. Their career-best ranking of fifth, achieved for three weeks in January 2023, remains a target to surpass.
Barring any upset, Pearly-Thinaah are favoured to reach the quarter-finals. They hold an advantage over their next opponents, world No. 50 Mai Surrow-Julie Finne Ipsen of Denmark.
Should they advance, a likely showdown awaits against China's second seeds Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning, the Paris 2024 silver medallists.