KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian badminton ace Pearly Tan has opened up after a heartbreaking quarter-final loss with doubles partner M. Thinaah at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen on Friday.

“I’m so lucky and grateful to have someone who always had my back, understanding me, pushing through the fatigue, fighting alongside me no matter how tough it gets, not just for the wins, but for the moment we have nothing left,” Tan wrote on Facebook, tagging Thinaah. 

“Now it’s time to rest, to heal and to grow.” The world No. 2 women’s doubles team fought tooth and nail for 87 minutes before bowing out 21-23, 21-19, 20-22 to South Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee in a gripping three-game battle.

The defeat is a tough follow-up to their silver-medal run at the World Championships two weeks ago and a semi-final finish at the Hong Kong Open last week. 

Despite reaching five finals this season, the pair have only one title to their name so far — the Thailand Open in May — a reminder of how fiercely contested the women’s doubles circuit has become.

Tan and Thinaah will collect about US$4,062 (RM17,000) in prize money for their quarter-final effort, but Tan’s message made clear that the focus is on recovery and resurgence. 

“Next tour, we fight again,” she declared, a promise sure to fire up Malaysian fans ahead of their next campaign.