SINGAPORE: Terry Hee’s bid to defend his Guwahati Masters title was thwarted in his first competitive outing with new mixed doubles partner Jin Yujia, as the duo fell short in the semi-finals, succumbing to a defeat at the hands of English pair Rory Easton and Lizzie Tolman.
Last year, Hee won the competition with his seasoned mixed doubles partner Jessica Tan, defeating Mads Vestegaard and Christine Busch of Denmark in the final.
However, with changes in the Team Singapore mixed doubles team, 29-year-old Hee entered this year’s Guwahati Masters with a new partner, 27-year-old Jin.
“We have been friends for many years and we have also sparred together on countless occasions during our training sessions.
I’m looking forward to be on the same side of the net with Terry this time,” commented Jin when the new mixed doubles pairing was announced by the Singapore Badminton Association in November.
While the new Singapore mixed doubles pair Hee and Jin made a scintillating start to their campaign, dominating their first two matches with convincing victories, they could not reach the final as they faced a tough opponent in the semis.
The duo effortlessly dispatched Gao Jia Xuan and Tang Rui Zhi from China 21-13, 21-12, and followed it up with an equally impressive 21-12, 21-9 triumph over India’s Sanjai Dhanraj and Trisha Hegde.
Hee and Jin continued their impressive run in the competition, storming into the semi-finals with a convincing 21-14, 21-18 victory over Malaysian duo Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, wrapping up the quarter-final match in about 30 minutes.
However, there would not be a fairytale ending for the new Singapore mixed doubles pair as they suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals, going down 21-17, 16-21, 10-21 at the hands of their 72-ranked English opponents.
With the conclusion of the Guwahati Masters, Hee and Tan will shift their focus next to the Odisha Masters. They will begin the tournament against Indian duo Arvind Suresh and Dhanyaa Nandakumar on Dec 10.
New partner for mixed doubles duo Terry Hee and Jessica tan
In a move aimed at revitalizing their doubles prospects, the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) announced last month that, following a thorough evaluation, they would be experimenting with new doubles pairings for both Hee and Tan.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalists Hee and Tan etched their names in history by becoming the first Singapore-born shuttlers to secure a coveted spot in the mixed doubles event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Despite their historic qualification, Hee and Tan’s Olympic journey was cut short at the group stage, as they missed out on a quarter-final berth.
The Team Singapore shuttlers’ sole triumph came against American pair Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai. They fell to Malaysian opponents Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, as well as second seed Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping from China, in a tough and competitive group.
“I have fulfilled my Olympic dream with my wife, and we have also won a historic gold medal together at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It has been a remarkable partnership and a very special journey.
It’s not going to be the same on court again without Jessica. The next few tournaments will be important as a measure of my compatibility with Yujia. In sports, it is important to trust the coaches. Who knows, I may be paired with Jessica again!” shared Hee.
Although she has been separated from her long-time partner Hee on the court, Tan continued to exude a positive outlook, offering unwavering support from the sidelines while simultaneously maintaining a steadfast focus on her own recovery journey, with her sights firmly set on a triumphant return to competition with her soon-to-be-announced new mixed doubles partner.
“One of my key goals when I committed to badminton as a career was to represent Singapore at the Olympics. Terry and I achieved that this year in Paris amidst a very competitive field, but unfortunately, we did not win a medal.
In badminton doubles we have to continually experiment and explore different partnerships. I will continue my physiotherapy and training and see which permutations work out best for me moving forward,” said 31-year-old Tan.
As Tan is still recuperating from an injury and is not yet competition-ready, she will have to wait for a later announcement to discover her new mixed doubles partner as the association continues to explore optimal pairing combinations.