KUALA LUMPUR: Defending champions Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah suffered only their second first-round defeat of the season after crashing out of the Kumamoto Masters in Japan against a Japanese pair featuring familiar nemesis Chiharu Shida on Tuesday.
The world No. 4 failed to capitalise on a promising start, going down 18-21, 21-13, 21-14 to Shida and her new partner Ririna Hiramoto in the opening hurdle of the Super 500 event.
Coincidentally, their only previous opening-round defeat this season also came on Japanese soil, at the Japan Open in Tokyo, in July.
The setback also ended an impressive run of three consecutive tournaments in which the duo had reached at least the semi-finals.
