KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah endured a four-day wait in chilly Vantaa, Finland, before playing their first match at the Arctic Open, but the Malaysian women's doubles pair aren't complaining.
The world No. 7 arrived in Finland on Sunday but didn't take to the court until Thursday due to an opening-round bye.
While the temperature in Vantaa hovers around 13-14 degrees Celsius, it can drop as low as 1 degree.
Despite the cold weather, Pearly-Thinaah adapted quickly, cruising to a 21-10, 21-11 victory over Dutch-Ukrainian pair Kirsten de Witt and Mariia Stoliarenko in just 24 minutes, securing their spot in the quarter-finals.
This was likely their smoothest path to a Super 500 event quarter-final this year, continuing their strong form since the Paris Olympics.
After finishing fourth in Paris, they claimed the Hong Kong Open title and finished runners-up in the Korea Open.
However, they were eliminated in the second round of the China Open three weeks ago.
Thinaah expressed her relief at getting back into the competitive spirit after a few weeks off, even in the freezing Finnish conditions.
"It feels really good to be back on court after some time. It was a reasonable start, but I think we still have areas to work on," said Thinaah.
"We're excited to be back for this tournament. The weather is very cold here, and we have to adapt to it."
The pair will face Taiwan's Chang Ching Hui-Yang Ching Tun in the quarter-finals later today.
"We're focusing on building momentum and communication for the next match," added Pearly.