KUALA LUMPUR — National top women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah moved a step closer to securing their third title of the season after smashing their way into the Japan Masters 2025 final in Kumamoto tomorrow.

In today's semi-finals of the Super 500 tournament at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Pearly-Thinaah lived up to their top billing as they needed 57 minutes to fend off a fierce challenge from home duo and third seeds Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto, winning 24-22, 23-21 to reach their seventh final of the season.

The result also saw the 2025 World Championships runners-up extend their impressive head-to-head record over Fukushima-Matsumoto to 5-1.

The world number two will battle for the title tomorrow against another home duo and fourth seed Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi, who upset second seed Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong of South Korea 21-16, 21-11.

On paper, the Malaysians hold the upper hand over the Japanese pair by recording six victories in eight meetings so far.

Pearly-Thinaah claimed their first title this year at the Thailand Open in May, followed by their second crown in the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, last month.

However, there will be no second Malaysian representative in the final tomorrow after professional men's doubles pair and second seed Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani were stunned by home pair and unseeded duo Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita 12-21, 17-21 in 38 minutes, earlier.

The Japanese will face either top seed from South Korea, Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae or Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi-Lin of Taiwan in tomorrow's final.

In January, Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin captured their only title of the season so far after defeating Won Ho-Seung Jae 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 at the India Open 2025.

Their bid for a second title this year, however, was thwarted when they fell 16-21, 17-21 to the same Korean pair in the Japan Open 2025 final in July.