Malaysia’s women’s doubles hopes ended in disappointment as world No. 2 pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah were eliminated in the semi-finals of India Open 2026 by Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, repeating last year’s result.
The sixth-seeded Japanese duo were in control throughout the match, securing a 21–16, 21–13 victory in 45 minutes. It marked their third consecutive win over the Malaysians in the past two months, having also beaten them twice at the World Tour Finals in China last month.
The semi-final followed a familiar pattern. Fukushima–Matsumoto dictated the tempo early, capitalising on unforced errors from Pearly–Thinaah to take the opening game. The second game slipped away quickly after the Malaysians fell behind 0–5. Matters worsened when Pearly required treatment for an ankle issue at 9–1, visibly affecting her movement. Thinaah later needed attention for her palm, highlighting a physically demanding encounter.
Despite the loss, Pearly–Thinaah still lead the overall head-to-head record 5–4 and collected US$13,300 (RM54,000) in prize money as semi-finalists at India Open 2026. However, their wait to become the first Malaysian pair to win the women’s doubles title at the India Open — a tournament first held in 1973 — continues.
Thinaah acknowledged the tactical challenge posed by the Japanese pair. “They really put pressure on us through their attacks,” she said. “We need to be more sensitive in defence and more aggressive, especially against opponents who play at a faster tempo.”
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The world championship runners-up will next compete at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta, beginning Tuesday, where they face Americans Francesca Corbett and Jennie Gai in the opening round.
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BWF India Open 2026 Semi-Final Fixtures
Men’s Singles
- Lin Chun-yi (Chinese Taipei) vs Victor Lai (Canada)
- Jonatan Christie (Indonesia) vs Loh Kean Yew (Singapore)
Women’s Singles
- An Se-young (South Korea) vs Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand)
- Chen Yufei (China) vs Wang Zhiyi (China)
Men’s Doubles
- Kang Min-hyuk / Ki Dong-ju (South Korea) vs Wang Chang / Liang Weikeng (China)
- Hiroki Midorikawa / Kyohei Yamashita (Japan) vs Aaron Chia / Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia)
Women’s Doubles
- Liu Shengshu / Tan Ning (China) vs Baek Ha-na / Lee So-hee (South Korea)
- Yuki Fukushima / Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) vs Pearly Tan / Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia)
Mixed Doubles
- Feng Yanzhe / Huang Dongping (China) vs Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Supissara Paewsampran (Thailand)
- Mathias Christiansen / Alexandra Bøje (Denmark) vs Jiang Zhenbang / Wei Yaxin (China)
