Terry Hee and Gloria Widjaja split up after just two months as a badminton mixed doubles pair

SINGAPORE – The search is on for a fourth doubles partner in 1½ years for Singapore’s Terry Hee, whose collaboration with Indonesian Gloria Widjaja has ended after just two months.

In response to queries from The Straits Times after Widjaja penned a thank-you note on social media on March 16, the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) confirmed the split.

The 32-year-old is reuniting with compatriot Rehan Kusharjanto, who is back in action after a serious knee injury.

Widjaja, who had teamed up with Hee in January while waiting for Kusharjanto to recover, had garnered a creditable 6-4 win-loss record with the Singaporean over four tournaments.

In their last match on March 3, they went within two points of upsetting China’s top-ranked pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping at the All England Open.

Although it had been clear that their partnership would not be a long-term arrangement, the swift end still came as a surprise, leaving Hee, 30, in limbo.

He said: “It was a great journey with Gloria. I’ve also learnt a lot from the games we have played together. We came so close to beating the world No. 1s at the All England and that would be one of our most memorable moments playing together.

“We were friends before this partnership and we will continue to be friends. I wish her all the best and hopefully we meet on court very soon.”

SBA chief executive officer Woo Kaiwei noted Hee and Widjaja’s professionalism, dedication and mutual respect on and off the courts.

He said the association will be assessing the options for the 30-year-old, which include mentoring younger players and coaching alongside Singapore doubles head coach Paulus Firman.

ST understands the SBA will also consider finding a men’s doubles partner for Hee, who reached a career-high ranking of 22nd with Loh Kean Hean before he decided to focus on Paris 2024 Olympic qualification with his wife Jessica Tan.

Among the options are national players who are trying out different combinations. They include 22-year-old Nge Joo Jie, who became junior men’s doubles world No. 1 with Johann Prajogo in 2022.

Woo added: “We’re still evaluating options for Terry going forward. In addition to playing on the BWF World Tour, we would like to see how he can contribute meaningfully to SBA’s broader athlete development pathway and help prepare younger players for the upcoming tournaments, potentially including the Asian Games in October.”

Hee also remains linked to Thailand’s Sapsiree Taerattanachai, 33, for another transnational mixed doubles partnership.

Sapsiree, who won the 2021 world championship with Dechapol Puavaranukroh, is an independent player currently partnering compatriot Pakkapon Teeraratsakul.

While Hee showed no signs of bitterness over the short-lived collaboration with Widjaja, there must be concerns over the future of a player who appears to be in his prime but has to search for a new partner again.

In the last 18 months, he had teamed up with the now-retired Tan (career-high ranking of 13th), national teammate Jin Yujia (21st) and Widjaja (95th).

In her thank-you note, the Indonesian called the two-month stint a “great journey”.

Hee and Widjaja had claimed the scalp of Denmark’s world No. 9 duo Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje en route to the German Open semi-finals in February.

They also reached the Indonesia Open quarter-finals and last 16 of the Thailand Masters in their first two tournaments in January.

In her Instagram post, Widjaja thanked Hee, Tan, Firman and the Singapore team for their support.

She wrote: “Grateful for the opportunity to share the court with you in the last four tournaments. It was a great journey and experience for me. Wishing everyone all the best ahead! See you again on court.”