Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah went down in three games against Indonesians Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti in the Hong Kong Open women's doubles final on Sunday.

This 21-14, 22-24, 9-21 defeat was a heartbreaking one for the Malaysians, who came within two points of securing their first title of the season.

Even more concerning was an injury to Tan, who struggled for mobility after appearing to injure her right leg towards the end of the third game.

Tan-Thinaah started off like a full steam train to take the first game after a dominant display as the Indonesians struggled with unforced errors.

The national pair led for most parts of the second game and looked destined to secure victory in straight games, but Rahayu-Ramadhanti had other ideas.

The Indonesians took a crucial 19-18 lead and kept their nerve as the match went into extra-time and even though Tan-Thinaah saved four game points, their opponents forced the win to take the game into a decider.

Rahayu/Ramadhanti ?? force Tan/Muralitharan ?? to a decider.

Follow live action: https://t.co/TjoFnU4PnB @HSBC_Sport #BWFWorldTour #HongKongOpen2023 pic.twitter.com/Waa5tYFTkj
— BWF (@bwfmedia) September 17, 2023

Stung by that defeat, the world number 10 pair lost the plot early on, and the Indonesians capitalised to take a huge 11-3 lead to pave the way for the win.

Tan's injury compounded matters as she was reduced to almost a passenger in the final four points as the Indonesians strode to victory.

This was the Malaysians' second final loss this year, having also gone down in the Malaysia Masters final in May.