Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah attributed being too defensive as one of the key factors of their semi-finals loss at the Hong Kong Open on Saturday.

The defending champions were comfortably beaten 14-21, 11-21 by Chinese pair Jia Yifan-Zhang Shu Xian in a 35-minute encounter. 

"There were a lot of shots which we were defensive, and that's when their attacks became more pressured and aggressive. It's something we need to be more alert on," said the World Championships silver medalists, whose best moment of the match was when they led 11-10 in the first game.

Despite the defeat, the world number two pair still hold fond memories of this competition which they won so dominantly last year.

"We will still take back great memories from here. This place reminds us of home because there is so much of support for us here. We will now have a good rest, have a post-portem of this tournament and return stronger for the next one," they added.

Tan-Thinaah will now aim to get a well deserved rest after a grueling last few weeks that saw them reach the World Championships final in Paris just two weeks ago, before returning to Kuala Lumpur for a few days and then departing to Hong Kong again last Sunday. 

They are scheduled to next compete at the upcoming China Masters next week.