Malaysia's top women's doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah suffered a shock first round exit at the Japan Open after letting a commanding start slip in a three-game defeat to Taiwan's Hsu Yin Hui and Lin Jhih Yun on Tuesday.
Pearly-Thinaah looked set for a comfortable victory after dominating the opening game 21-9. However, the Taiwanese pair responded strongly, taking the second game 21-17 before completing the comeback with another 21-17 win in the decider.
The defeat marked Pearly-Thinaah's first loss to Hsu and Lin and their earliest exit from an Open tournament since last year's Badminton Asia Championships.
The result is a disappointing setback for the Malaysian duo, who arrived in Tokyo hoping to improve on last year's runner-up finish at the Super 750 event. Instead, they leave the tournament much earlier than expected after failing to maintain their early momentum.
Despite the upset, Pearly-Thinaah remain one of the world's leading women's doubles pairs and will be looking to use the defeat as motivation ahead of the upcoming tournaments. The loss also serves as another reminder of the depth and competitiveness at the highest level of international badminton, where even the strongest starts do not always guarantee victory.
