Pearly-Thinaah vow to fix defensive flaws after Hangzhou exit

KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah admitted their defensive game was the deciding factor after their World Tour Finals (WTF) campaign ended in the semi-finals on Saturday.

The world No. 2 were beaten 21-19, 21-13 by Japan's world No. 5 Mayu Matsumoto-Yuki Fukushima in 61 minutes.

It was the Malaysians' second straight defeat to the pair in 24 hours, following a three-game loss in the group stage a day earlier.

There was a brief revival in the second game when Pearly-Thinaah took a 7-1 lead, but Matsumoto-Fukushima levelled the score at 10-10 before pulling away.

Thinaah said their defence was weak and could not contain the pressure applied by the Japanese pair.

"The opponents really pressured us, and we didn't defend well. We have to analyse this defeat and rectify our errors fast," said Thinaah.

"We take it as a lesson and move on, but also start preparing for the Malaysia Open, which is not far away."

With the season opener — the Malaysia Open at the Axiata Arena — starting on Jan 6, Thinaah said it was crucial to move past the setback.

Despite the defeat, it was a successful season for the pair, who won three World Tour events, took silver at the World Championships, and won gold at the Thailand SEA Games.

They earned US$60,000 (RM254,400) for reaching the semi-finals in Hanghzou.

Pearly thanked the fans for their support and vowed to return stronger next year.

"The fans also had a roller-coaster ride like us. We want to thank them for their support and make them prouder next year," said Pearly.

"We are happy with our consistency this year, but these two days exposed weaknesses in our defence.

"We need to discuss them with our coaches and continue working to improve."

Pearly-Thinaah will take a two-day break before returning to training to prepare for the new season.