SINGAPORE, May 27 — Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah marched on to the second round of the Singapore Open 2026 today, marking a successful return to action following a recent injury.
The world number two pair defeated Chinese Taipei duo Hu Li Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh 20-22, 21-16, 21-15 in a 51-minute rubber-set match.
Despite the win, Tan, who has fully recovered from a recurring back injury, said she was not entirely satisfied with their performance, particularly regarding their strategy and on-court coordination.
“I am not so happy overall for the performance because there is a lot that we could improve and also do better from the match, especially our strategy-wise and also rotation part.
“But of course I feel relieved and also very happy to be back on court and finish the match today safely,” she told Bernama at the Singapore Indoor Stadium mixed zone on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, defending men’s double champions, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also advanced after an impressive first round performance, defeating French brothers Christo Popov-Toma Junior Popov in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-15.
The duo attributed their winning to calmness and strategic gameplay within the court despite the constant pressure from their opponent for long shots towards the back line.
Also advancing to the second round were mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who took 40 minutes to overcome compatriots Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing 21-16, 21-19 in a 40-minute match.
In the singles category, national women’s top player K. Letshanaa failed to advance to the second round after losing 21-19, 15-21 and 17-21 to China’s world number four and Tokyo Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei in a 66-minute match, despite winning the first set.
Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles also ended after world number 47 Justin Hoh bowed out to France’s world number four Christo Popov, 21-13, 18-21, 14-21, in a match that lasted 62 minutes. — Bernama
