PETALING JAYA: Winning a title is never easy, but defending it is even tougher.

Women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak knows the task ahead will be demanding for Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as they look to build on last year’s success.

Pearly-Thinaah claimed their first title of the season at the Indonesian Masters last week after receiving a walkover in the final following the withdrawal of Japan’s Arisa Igarashi-Miyu Takahashi.

To match their achievements from last season, the pair will need to add three more titles this year.

Last year, Pearly-Thinaah reached eight finals and captured four titles at the Thailand Open, Arctic Open, Japan Masters and the Thailand SEA Games.

Rosman said the duo must embrace the challenge of staying consistent, especially with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games just two years away, where they are expected to be among the country’s main medal prospects.

“Honestly, their achievements last year came quite suddenly. They reached eight finals, something we ourselves did not expect. Once that happens, expectations naturally rise,” said Rosman.

“We know we are among the top four pairs, even though our world ranking is number two.