Kuala Lumpur: Trouble lurks for Malaysia’s women’s doubles pairs due to several top combinations having changed their partners ahead of the 2025 Malaysia Open badminton championships at the Axiata Arena here from tomorrow until Sunday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, national women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak stated that the situation complicates his ability to assess the performance of the new pairs at the Super 1000 season-opening tournament. He highlighted the absence of data on these new combinations, which makes it challenging to understand their playing styles.

Rosman mentioned that previously, they had data and familiarity with existing pairs, but the introduction of many new combinations and the changed environment for women’s doubles has reset the landscape. Some noteworthy new combinations include Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo-Chiharu Shida and Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto, South Korea’s Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong, and Indonesia’s Lanny Tria Mayasari-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.

Moreover, Ro
sman has set a target for the national number one pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, to reach at least the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open for the first time. He acknowledged the difficulty of their path but expressed hope that they would perform their best and progress as far as possible.

Pearly-Thinaah are anticipated to face Lanny-Siti Fadia in the opening round of the tournament. Rosman also expressed hopes for the young duo of Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting, who will be making their debut in the 2025 Malaysia Open. Despite being ranked 125th in the world, Xin Yee-Carmen face a challenging opening match against world number 22 Shuo Yun Sung-Chien Hui Yu of Taiwan.

Xin Yee, despite recognizing their underdog status, is optimistic about surprising the Taiwanese pair and advancing to the second round. She also expressed admiration for Pearly-Thinaah, noting their never-say-die attitude and considering them as her badminton idols.