Malaysia women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah exited the German Open after they were ousted 22-24, 13-21 by top seeds Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the semi-finals in Mulheim on Saturday.

The Japanese pair, who won the India Open in January, were comfortably leading the opening game 18-10 but the Malaysians almost staged an unlikely comeback.

Tan-Thinaah slowly racked up the points and coupled with their opponents' hastiness, had game points on two occasions.

But they couldn't close it out and Matsuyama-Shida recovered to win 24-22. Armed with the crucial advantage, the world number two pair controlled the second game to see off the Malaysians 21-13.

This win stretched Matsuyama-Shida's win record against Tan-Thinaah to 8-1.

But despite the defeat, Tan-Thinaah can take positives from an encouraging outing on their first European tournament this year, as they prepare next for the upcoming All England.