Singapore mixed doubles badminton pair Terry Hee, Jessica Tan in Abu Dhabi Masters final
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Terry Hee and Jessica Tan in action against Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong during the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – After a 14-month drought, Singapore’s top mixed doubles pair Terry Hee and Jessica Tan are back in contention for a title, after beating Germany’s Jan Colin Volker and Stine Kuespert 15-21, 21-17, 22-20 in a dramatic Abu Dhabi Masters semi-final on Saturday.
The world No. 28s will face Denmark’s 41st-ranked Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch in a bid to win their third Badminton World Federation World Tour event.
If successful, it will be the married couple’s first title since their historic Commonwealth Games gold in August 2022.
Hee, 28, admitted they got lucky and that their performance was not up to par. He said: “I was a little nervous as the shuttle was hard to control. We just didn’t give up and kept trying, point by point.
“It felt great to win, but we are not done here. We have to keep our focus and get ready for the final.”
After a first-round bye as top seeds at the US$120,000 (S$165,000) event, they breezed through the round of 16 and quarter-finals before meeting their toughest challenge at the Adnec Marina Hall in the 47th-ranked Germans.
Looking out of sorts from the start, they trailed 1-6 after making numerous unforced errors.
But they improved as the game went on and, with a place in the final on the line, both pairs had nervy moments in the decider.
After Kuespert served short at match point, Volker’s indecision at the back court and a smash into the net gave the Singaporeans their comeback victory.
National doubles head coach Paulus Firman praised Tan, 30, for stepping up when Hee was off-colour.
He said: “The opponents got a lot of points from our mistakes and poor shot placement and quality. We will have to start the final better, don’t make mistakes easily to avoid panic and any negative impact on self-confidence.”
Meanwhile at the US$850,000 Denmark Open, Singapore’s top men’s singles player Loh Kean Yew’s run of top-10 scalps ended as he lost 21-11, 21-19 to China’s world No. 4 and defending champion Shi Yuqi
After beating Japan’s world No. 3 Kodai Naraoka and Denmark’s 10th-ranked Anders Antonsen earlier, Loh remains a frustrated figure after failing to put together a consistently strong week.
The 26-year-old, who pocketed US$4,675 in his sixth quarter-final appearance of 2023, said: “It’s always disappointing to lose. Unlike the previous rounds, I couldn’t find the right balance between being patient and aggressive today.
“Overall, I played a few good games this week which is a positive, but I’m still trying to get used to certain aspects of my game play, which is still a work in progress.”
