KUALA LUMPUR: Tired legs caught up with Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as their bid for consecutive World Tour titles ended in the French Open final on Sunday.
Japan's world No. 3 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto fought back to win 10-21, 21-17, 21-16 at Arena Grand Paris, denying the Malaysian world No. 4 pair another title following their Denmark Open triumph last week.
Pearly admitted that they struggled to match the Japanese pair's pace as the final wore on.
"They were still fast even in the third game. In the third game, I think we were a bit slow, our legs were also a bit slow, and I think that cost us the match today," said Pearly in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.
Thinaah said Fukushima-Matsumoto's tactical adjustments had turned the contest after the Malaysians' commanding start.
"The opponents changed their strategy a little bit and pressured us a lot in the second game, especially at the beginning. That helped them take quite a comfortable lead," said Thinaah.
"Towards the end, we were trying to get back, but the lead was already quite big. That also helped their confidence."
Despite the disappointment, Pearly believes their European campaign has restored momentum and strengthened their partnership.
"We take a lot of positive things into this tournament from the last tournament. The good thing is we are getting back our momentum," she said.
Pearly-Thinaah will return home for a brief rest, with Pearly saying their next tournament is only about a week and a half away.
"Good rest, good food, local food," said Pearly. "Just rest well for these few days and get back to training."
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