Malaysia’s women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, have climbed to Number 1 in the BWF World Tour Finals qualification rankings, overtaking China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, and continuing to make the nation proud this season.
The world championship runners-up have now collected 104,860 points, surpassing the Chinese duo, who sit on 103,150 points after skipping both the French Open and Hylo Open.
Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah
The Chinese pair still lead the world rankings
The BWF World Tour rankings decide the top eight pairs who qualify for the World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou, China, taking place from 17 to 21 December, according to Berita Harian.
However, Pearly and Thinaah are still ranked World Number 2, just behind the Chinese pair who remain at the top. Local reports say Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning currently lead the world rankings with 110,884 points, while Pearly and Thinaah are close behind with 91,316 points.
It’s also reported that the World Tour rankings and world rankings are separate, with the former counting points only from Tour events, while the latter includes all tournaments, including official competitions and team events.
Still, climbing to the Number 1 spot in the World Tour rankings is a big confidence boost for the Malaysians as they gear up for the Kumamoto Masters in Japan, kicking off this Tuesday (11 November).
Pearly and Thinaah are now eyeing their third World Tour title of the season, after bagging wins at the Thailand Open and the Arctic Open in Finland.
The top seeds in Japan, they’re expected to meet the world Number 3 Korean pair, Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong, if both sides make it to the final of the Super 500 tournament.
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