PETALING JAYA, Sept 12 — Malaysia’s top women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan and M Thinaah have reportedly kept their title defence on track at the Hong Kong Open after powering past fellow national players Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing to book a place in the semi-finals today.

The second seeds showed their quality at the Hong Kong Coliseum, brushing aside their younger teammates 21-12, 21-15 in just 31 minutes. It was the first time the two Malaysian pairs had met on court, Free Malaysia Today reported.

Fresh from their silver-medal finish at the World Championships, Pearly and Thinaah will now reportedly turn their attention to China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, the reigning Olympic champions, in the last-four clash.

Although the Chinese duo are currently ranked eighth in the world, lower than Pearly and Thinaah, they are widely regarded as one of the most formidable partnerships on the circuit.

For Pearly and Thinaah, the semi-final appearance adds to a consistent run this year, with the pair having reached five finals so far.