The world No 6 Malaysians suffered a second straight semifinal heartbreak when they lost 14-21, 19-21 to Japan’s world No 11 duo of Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota after a 51-minute battle at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.

Although the three-time World Championships silver medallists controlled the first game, Pearly-Thinaah did well to lead for the most part of the second game until 15-15 but failed to take the match into a rubber game.

In tomorrow’s final, Fukushima-Hirota will take on the unseeded Liu Sheng Shu-Zhang Shu Xian after the China pair stunned Thailand’s fourth-seeded Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai 21-11, 21-9 in the other semifinal.

The sixth-seeded Pearly-Thinaah had earlier downed China’s Li Wen Mei-Liu Xuan Xuan 21-10, 21-12 in the quarterfinals.

Pearly-Thinaah, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallists, have yet to win a title since their 2022 French Open success last October, having suffered a similar semifinal exit at last weekend’s India Open when they lost to Japan’s world No 2 pair of Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida.

Pearly-Thinaah were the country’s sole survivors in the Super 500 Indonesia Masters tournament after men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, runners-up in last week’s India Open, and mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie crashed out in the quarterfinals yesterday.