KUALA LUMPUR: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah fell short in their bid to reach a World Tour final event for the second time.
The duo crashed out in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters at Axiata Arena today.
Playing world No 1 Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan for the first time, world No 10 Malaysians found the China pair too hot too handle as they went down 21-10, 21-19 in 43 minutes.
Pearly-Thinaah had looked capable of staging a comeback when they recovered from 18-13 down to level at 19-19, but Qing Chen-Yi Fan stamped their class and prevailed.
A dejected Pearly said: "I'm not too happy with our performance. We made a lot of simple mistakes and couldn't quite follow their pace.
"In the second game, we were finally able to cope with their pace, but it was still not enough.
"We have plenty of things to work on when we get back to training.
"Despite the defeat, it was a good experience playing against them. We can only gain from it."
Thinaah believes she and Pearly are not too far behind Qing Chen-Yi Fan, who are also the Tokyo Olympics silver medallists.
"Against the world's top-five, top-10 pairs, we need to be able to sustain the same high level of intensity and speed throughout the game.
"If we are able to do that, we would stand a fighting chance," stressed Thinaah.
Yi Fan, who credited Pearly-Thinaah for giving them a good fight, said she and Qing Chen have been paying attention to the Malaysians since last year.
"We have been noticing them since the Sudirman Cup last year. They're indeed a talented pair,"said Yi Fan.
"Their style of game is defined by powerful attack and speed. They are certainly a pair to watch in the years to come."
Yi Fan-Qing Chen will be aiming to add a fourth title to their collection when they take on Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida of Japan in the final today.
Nami-Chiharu booked their place in the final by beating South Korea's Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong 24-22, 21-13.
KW: Badminton, women's doubles, Malaysia Masters, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah, Chen Qing, Chen-Jia Yi Fan