PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah were once again left heartbroken after falling to China’s Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian 21-14, 22-24, 14-21 in the Singapore Open quarter-finals on Friday (May 30).

The Malaysians started strongly at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, taking control in the opening game with confident play.

Despite trailing in the second game, Pearly-Thinaah mounted an impressive fightback and were on the verge of sealing victory. However, they failed to convert their chances, allowing Yifan-Shuxian to turn the tide and force a decider.

The momentum swung firmly in the Chinese pair’s favour in the third game and after a gruelling 73-minute battle, Pearly-Thinaah conceded defeat.

It was the second consecutive loss for Pearly-Thinaah to the Chinese duo, having also lost to them in the Malaysian Masters semi-finals last week.