French Open: Pearly-Thinaah upset Malaysia Open champions

KUALA LUMPUR: National top women's doubles duo, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah stunned reigning Malaysia Open champions, Indonesia's Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti in the opening round of French Open 2022, yesterday.

Unseeded Pearly-Thinaah prevailed against the seventh-seeded pair, 22-20, 19-21, 21-7 in a rubber-set battle that lasted 74 minutes in the tournament held in Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris.

The world number 11 Malaysian pair will next play another Indonesian duo, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, who disposed of Stine Kuespert-Emma Moszczynski of Germany, 18-21, 21-9, 21-13.

Meanwhile, professional mixed doubles pair, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing also made it to the second round when they eliminated China's Guo Xin Wa-Zhang Shu Xian, 8-21, 22-20, 24-22.

The eight-seeded Kian Meng-Pei Jing will take on Yuki Kaneko-Misaki Matsutomo of Japan for a slot in the quarter-finals.

Kaneko-Matsutomo had earlier denied an all-Malaysian affair when they got past Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See, 21-18, 21-17.

-- BERNAMA