Youngsters Pearly Tan-M Thinaah started their campaign in the Toyota Thailand Open 2021 in style when they sprang a surprise on the tournament sixth-seeded pair from South Korea, Chang Ye Na-Kim Hye Rin.

What made the win even sweeter was the fact that Pearly and Thinaah had bounced back from a 16-21 defeat in the first set to claim the next two sets 21-15, 27-25 in the battle that lasted for an hour and a half at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.

“Even though we are very tired, we are happy as really we did not expect to win this match. The win has definitely put us in a better state of mind for the next match,” said Pearly.

Added Thinaah: “The key was to change the way we play and also to be more confident in how we defend. The most important thing was to trust each other and we hope that we can build on this performance.”

Following from their win today, Pearly-Thinaah will take on French duo Vimala Heriau-Margot Lambert in the second-round tomorrow.

Also advancing to the next round is another national women’s doubles pair Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean who saw off Canada’s Rachel Honderich-Kristen Tsai in straight-set 21-17, 21-16.

In the meantime, in the mixed doubles, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheah Yee See had to pull out all the stops before they were able to overcome Indian pair, Reddy B. Sumeeth-Reddy N. Sikki 21-14, 18-21, 21-13.

However, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing failed to make the cut to the second round when they were done in 21-14, 15-21, 19-21 by seventh-seeded pair Marcus Ellis-Lauren Smith from England.

Meanwhile, national professional singles Liew Daren advanced to the next round after getting a walkover after his opponent from India, B Sai Praneeth withdrew from the tournament.

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