It was a final which Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong gave it everything they had but came up just short against Chinese Taipei duo Lee Yang-Wang Chi-lin, who beat them 16-21, 23-21, 19-21 to clinch the Yonex Thailand Open men’s doubles title on Sunday.
The 75-minute contest was truly an absorbing one, with the Malaysians forcing deuce to level the tie after falling in the first game to set up a thrilling finale.
The former world one threatened to force another big comeback as they clawed their way from 16-20 to within a point of deuce, but it proved a bridge too far as Wang Chi-lin thundered home a big smash to claim the win.
Defeat came as a massive dose of déjà vu for Goh-Tan, who lost to the same opponents the last time they made a final at the 2019 Korean Masters.
That defeat was painstakingly similar, with Goh-Tan also losing 19-21 in the decider.
But overall, the 2016 Olympic runners-up can be satisfied with their performance in this event, having won their previous matches in straight sets and pushing today's opponents all the way in the final.
They will have little time to recover before facing Kim Gi-gung-Lee Yong-dae in the opening match of the Toyota Thailand Open, which begins on Tuesday.
The mixed doubles saw Thais Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai win on home soil against Indonesians Praveen Jordan-Melati Daeva Oktavianti 21-3, 20-22, 21-18.
The top seeds were imperious in the competition, overcoming three Malaysian pairs before edging South Koreans Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yujung in a nail-biting encounter to make the final.
Indonesia women’s doubles Greysia Polli-Apriyani Rahayu did make amends for their fallen mixed doubles counterparts by seeing off homesters Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajonglai 21-15, 21-12 for the title.
Carolina Marin took the women’s singles title after an impressive showing to hand Tai Tzu-ying a shock 9-21, 16-21 defeat in 42 minutes.
All-England champion Viktor Axelsen emerged the victor in the men's singles final, proving too good in his 21-14, 21-14 triumph over Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Long.