KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 23 Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin fell short of their maiden World Tour title, with inexperience proving costly against Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the China Masters in Shenzhen today.
The seasoned Chinese pair leveraged their vast experience and homeground advantage to secure a nail-biting 21-23, 25-23, 21-16 victory in the 92-minute mixed doubles final.
Despite their victory, world No. 2 Yan Zhe-Dong Ping were pushed to their limits by a determined Pang Ron-Su Yin, who came agonisingly close to clinching the title.
Although denied the crown, the Malaysian duo took home a career-high purse of US$40,250 (RM180,000) as runners-up.
In her first major final, 21-year-old Su Yin struggled with nerves and unforced errors early on but grew steadier as the match progressed.
The Malaysians held a match point at 22-21 in the second game but failed to convert, allowing the Chinese pair to stage a comeback and win 25-23 before dominating the decider.
Pang Ron was frustrated after falling just short of a breakthrough victory.
"We are really disappointed because we had the match point (in the second game), but they did better than us today," said Pang Ron.
"We felt no pressure in the final. The pressure was on them, and we just fought and gave it our all.
"We had our strategy to counter their gameplan, but of course, they are more experienced and steadier.
"Although we lost, we're happy with how we performed and will focus on growing as a pair."
Su Yin admitted inexperience played a role in the defeat.
"I lost focus a bit in the first game, but the coaches and Pang Ron helped me regain my confidence," said Su Yin.
"Pang Ron kept reminding me we had nothing to lose, but the third game was tough."
National coaching director Rexy Mainaky praised Pang Ron-Su Yin for their spirited performance, especially in the absence of their coach Nova Widianto, who missed the tournament due to visa issues.
Men's and women's doubles coaches Tan Bin Shen and Rosman Razak stepped in to guide the mixed pairs.
"Pang Ron-Su Yin played well and gave a close fight to their more experienced opponents," said Rexy.
"They showed maturity despite Nova's absence. Bin Shen and Rosman provided crucial support, and the pair performed beyond expectations.
"This shows the growing confidence and independence of our mixed doubles players."
Earlier in the tournament, Pang Ron-Su Yin stunned China's world No. 3 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin (second round) and Hong Kong's world No. 7 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (semi-finals).
Their remarkable run is expected to propel them into the top 20 of the world rankings on Tuesday.