KUALA LUMPUR: With the character they possess, national coaching director Rexy Mainaky is optimistic that Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah will bounce back in this week's Denmark Open following their defeat in the final of the Arctic Open.
World No. 7 Pearly-Thinaah's gallant run at the Arctic Open in Finland was halted by World No. 2 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China (21-12, 21-17) on Sunday.
Rexy said Pearly-Thinaah were under tremendous pressure before the Olympics, but their semi-final appearance in Paris has liberated the duo, who are now learning to enjoy their matches without compromising on results.
"Their relaxed mindset has translated into three tour finals, where they won the Hong Kong Open and finished runners-up at the Korea Open and Arctic Open.
"Pearly-Thinaah have the character to bounce back and continue their search for titles in Denmark and other World Tour events, even though they missed out on the Arctic Open," said Rexy.
"They were under tremendous pressure heading into the Olympics, which impacted their performance for almost a year leading up to the Paris Games.
"But after Paris, there was a change in motivation, and they started enjoying training and playing in tournaments."
That joy was evident as the duo graciously accepted their defeat to their Chinese rivals.
Both shuttlers remained cheerful despite the loss in Finland.
Pearly said that their two matches – the epic 102-minute semi-final win over world No. 6 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi of Japan and the final against Sheng Shu-Tan Ning – were memorable and will motivate them ahead of the Denmark Open, which begins tomorrow.
"Those two matches were fantastic for both of us. It was very tiring, but we enjoyed every rally and fought hard.
"These are the positives that we will take into the next tournament," said Pearly.
"We just appreciate the chance to play in tournaments, and for the Denmark Open, our approach will not change. We want to enjoy our moments on the court."
Thinaah echoed Pearly's sentiments, adding that their communication and bond have improved tremendously, helping them achieve better results.
"I think we were really stressed before the Paris Olympics due to the pressure to perform well. It's different now, as we are communicating better, our bond is closer, and we understand each other more."
They will face the much-improved Indian pair Treesa Jolly-Gayathri Gopichand (ranked No. 21) in the first round of the Denmark Open, and a win would set up a tricky second-round clash against the 14th-ranked Lee Yu Lim-Shin Seung Chan.
Malaysian fans can expect the "smiling assassins" to continue their momentum in their search for glory this week and beyond, buoyed by their newfound confidence.