Tough as nails: Pearly fought through the pain alongside Thinaah to advance to the quarter-finals of the All-England.
KUALA LUMPUR: Should women’s doubles shuttler Pearly Tan take a longer time-out to recover from her injury or get back into action in another three weeks?
That is the dilemma now.
Pearly, who hurt her ankle during the All-England last week, is not at her best yet.
Pearly and her partner M. Thinaah have been entered for the Asian Badminton Championships in Ningbo, China, from April 8-13 but there is an option for her to skip it and focus on the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, from April 27-May 4.
Pearly will only start the court training next week as she focuses on rehabilitation under the supervision of the National Sports Institute (NSI).
Women’s doubles coach Rosman Razak has downplayed concerns over Pearly’s condition, saying that medical reports indicated that her injury was a minor issue.
“I’ve been informed by NSI that Pearly’s injury is not serious.
‘‘This week, she has been focusing on rehabilitation, and hopefully, she can return to the court for training next week,” said Rosman.
Rosman said he needed more time to assess Pearly’s condition before making a decision, as the team would rely heavily on her and Thinaah for the Sudirman Cup, set to begin on April 27.
“Withdrawing from the tournament is, of course, an option, as long term planning remains the priority,” he said.
“Pearly and Thinaah have been constantly providing feedback to me, but I will make the final decision on whether they compete or stay back to prepare for the Sudirman Cup,” said Rosman when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia, Bukit Kiara on Friday.
Pearly had twisted her right ankle during the second round of the All England while facing Indonesia’s Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia.
Despite the setback, the 25-year-old fought through the pain alongside Thinaah to secure victory and advanced to the quarter-finals.
If Pearly-Thinaah do not compete in this year’s Asian Championships, Malaysia will rely on Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing, along with two other pairs, Carmen Ting-Ong Xin Yee and Lee Zhi Qing-Tio Sue Xin, who will first go through the qualifying rounds.
As for the Sudirman Cup, Malaysia have been drawn in Group C with three-time runners-up Japan, as well as Australia and France.
Malaysia will field their strongest squad in a bid to redeem themselves after their disappointing campaign at the Asia Badminton Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao last February.
“Like it or not, I know the women’s doubles must deliver. In other words, Pearly-Thinaah need to contribute points. But as I’ve said, we are hoping Pearly will be 100% fit for this situation,” said Rosman.
“If we want to win at the Sudirman Cup, the women’s doubles must step up. On paper, it will definitely be tough against Japan, but we should be able to overcome Australia and France.”
