KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah head into the China Open with a huge confidence boost after their Hong Kong Open victory on Sunday, but coach Hoon Thien How warns against complacency.
World No. 8 Pearly-Thinaah have earned a first-round bye at the China Open Super 1000, which starts tomorrow in Changzhou.
They will face either China's World No. 19 pair Li Yi Jing-Luo Xu Min or Thailand's World No. 23 duo Laksika Kanlaha-Phataimas Muenwong in the second round.
"Pearly-Thinaah bounced back brilliantly from their Korea Open final loss to clinch the Hong Kong Open title. It's a very positive result," said Thien How.
"But as we know, the toughest challenge is maintaining performance, and that becomes even harder after major events like the Olympics."
Their Hong Kong Open win was Pearly-Thinaah's first World Tour title since triumphing at the 2022 French Open. The duo also reached the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics.
Thien How is hopeful that Pearly-Thinaah can keep up their momentum at the China Open.
"I'm not setting high expectations, but I hope they maintain their form. Being a Super 1000 event, the China Open will be tough, with all the top pairs competing," he added.