KUALA LUMPUR: Women's pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah checked into the quarter-finals of the China Masters after an unusual struggle in Shenzhen today.
World No. 6 Pearly-Thinaah defeated Japanese veterans Arisa Igarashi-Ayako Sakuramoto 21-18, 18-21, 21-13 in a 52-minute second round match.
It was Igarashi-Sakuramoto's second tournament after beginning their partnership at the Kumamoto Masters last week.
Pearly-Thinaah will meet world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China, who beat Treesa Jolly-Gayathri Gopichand of India 21-16, 21-11, in tomorrow's quarter-final clash.