KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 12 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah secured their first victory in three tournaments, defeating Taiwan's Lee Chia Hsin-Teng Chun Hsun to advance to the second round of the India Open Super 750 on Tuesday.
Pearly-Thinaah dominated the match against world No. 24 Chia Hsin-Chun Hsun, wrapping up their win 21-12, 21-11 in just 30 minutes at the K. D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.
The victory was a morale-boosting triumph for Pearly-Thinaah, particularly in light of their early exits in the first round of their previous two World Tour tournaments, including last week's Malaysia Open.
However, the duo must maintain their momentum, as they will face defending champions Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama of Japan in the last 16.
Pearly-Thinaah have struggled against the formidable World No. 4 Japanese pair, managing only one win in nine encounters.
The pressure is on for Pearly-Thinaah to deliver a strong performance this week, as they need to defend the semi-final points earned from their visit to Delhi last year.
Failure to do so could result in a drop in their world ranking.
Meanwhile, Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien had an encouraging start, securing a hard-fought 11-21, 21-17, 21-13 victory over American opponents, Annie Xu-Kerry Xu.
They will face Yeung Nga Ting-Yeung Pui Lam of Hong Kong for a place in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
In the women's singles, Goh Jin Wei faced an early exit, unable to handle the challenge posed by Thailand's Supanida Katethong, losing 21-10, 21-14 in 29 minutes.
The campaign of Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun in the men's doubles also ended early.
Despite putting up a commendable fight, they lost 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 to world No. 7 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia.