KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are headed for another fiery clash at next week's Arctic Open against China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning.

Second seeds Pearly-Thinaah should have no problems against Austria's world No. 73 Serena Au Yong-Anna Hagspiel in the first round and are expected to overcome Taiwan's world No. 11 Hsieh Pei Shan-Hung En Tzu in the semi-final before a likely showdown against Sheng Shu-Tan Ning in the final.

With Europe having been a favourite hunting ground for the Malaysian women's doubles world No. 2, they will head to Finland with expectations.

Pearly-Thinaah won a historic silver medal at the Paris World Championships in August. Their first Super 750 title was also won in Europe, at the French Open in 2022 and they finished second at the Arctic Open last year.

However, Thinaah will not dwell much into the past and focus on the present instead.

"After just finishing the Asian tour, we're excited to head to Europe next. We'll stay positive, focus on ourselves, and give our best. The past results (in Europe) are already in the past, we are always looking forward," said Thinaah.

"The players from the other countries are also strong. We are always prepared and ready to face any pair."

Pearly-Thinaah are scripted to cross swords with Sheng Shu-Tan Ning in their fourth final showdown this year after finishing second to the China duo at the Indonesia Open, Japan Open, World Championships, and also the Arctic Open last year.

The world No. 2 pair hope to overtake the world No. 1, and the Arctic Open will be a place for Pearly-Thinaah to see how close they have come.