KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — National women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are showing clear signs of maturity by strongly challenging China’s top pairs, who have long been their nemeses.

National women’s doubles coach Rosman Razak said the world number three pair are now mentally stronger and no longer give up easily when facing tough situations in matches.

“In the past, if things didn’t go well on court, they would become ‘lost’. But that’s no longer the case. They try, they fight, and sometimes, right in the middle of the match, their form and fighting spirit return.

“That is most evident — their maturity and willingness to keep trying. I really like that,” he said when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara yesterday.

According to Rosman, the six-week break from tournaments ahead of the Japan and China Opens this month is the best phase to rebuild physical conditioning and allow time for injury recovery, particularly for Pearly-Thinaah.

“This is the best time to ‘repair’ everything — recovery, physical conditioning, injury prevention — we’re doing all of that now.

“But at the same time, we don’t know whether their momentum can be maintained or if they’ll need time to regain their rhythm,” he said.

Rosman also confirmed that two national women’s doubles pairs — Pearly-Thinaah and Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee — have qualified for the 2025 World Championships in Paris this August.

When asked about potential pairs to fill the second national doubles slot, Rosman stressed that all players still have equal opportunities and must compete fairly to earn their place.

“I don’t want to talk about individuals. But currently, Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting’s performance looks much better than the other juniors. That said, the others are catching up in the race for that spot,” he said.

Rosman also named the young pair Low Zi Yu-Dania Sofea Zaidi as among the prospects, having shown encouraging results in lower-tier international competitions, but emphasised that they still need time and sufficient exposure.

“Sofea is only 18, Zi Yu is just 15. I think the progress of these young players shows potential. But they need time and exposure. Don’t compare them with Pearly and Thinaah,” he said. — Bernama