SINGAPORE: Singapore’s shuttler Jason Teh saw his dream of glory at the Sands China Ltd. Macau Open Badminton 2024 slipped through his fingers as he fell to Angus Ng Ka Long in the men’s singles final at the Macao East Asian Games Dome on Sept 29.
Despite falling short of victory, the 24-year-old achieved his best-ever finish in a Badminton World Federation Super 300 series.
This feat comes on the heels of his semi-final appearance at the Yonex US Open earlier this year, where he put up a valiant battle against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka.
The defeat in the Macau Open’s final marked a bittersweet end to an otherwise impressive campaign for Teh, who had earlier toppled the top seed player Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong) in a stunning quarter-final upset on Sept 27.
“Thank you for your support. I’ve tried my best, unfortunately, I lost in the finals today, but I’ll keep working hard in the future. Hope everyone can continue to support me,” said 44th-ranked Teh in a video posted by the Singapore Badminton Association on their Facebook page.
Teh finally broke his hoodoo against Lee at the Macau Open, as he secured a maiden victory over the 16th-ranked player after suffering two straight defeats in their previous encounters.
The duo’s rivalry dates back to the 2016 OUE Singapore International Series, where Lee dominated with a convincing 21-12, 21-13 win.
However, their subsequent meeting at last year’s BWF World Championship hinted at a shifting dynamic, as Teh pushed Lee to the brink in a nail-biting 17-21, 21-23 loss.
Teh was beaming with pride after his win against the top-seeded player at the Macau Open in the quarter-final round, saying:
“I feel great and happy to be able to win my match. I feel happy because I was able to play to the best of my ability and lucky to be on the winning side. I want to thank everyone for supporting me, all the Singaporeans back home.”
The semi-final showdown between 49th-ranked Teh and Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan ranked just five spots below him, was a nail-biting thriller that went down to the wire.
In a gritty display of skill and determination, Teh weathered the storm, rallying from intense pressure to emerge victorious with a hard-fought 24-22, 21-18 win in a gruelling 58-minute battle.
In the final of the Macau Open, Teh courageously faced off against his higher-ranked opponent, Ng, who is ranked 25th in the men’s singles world ranking.
Despite being the underdog, Teh refused to back down, putting up a valiant fight in the first set, narrowly succumbing 19-21. Undeterred, he continued to push his opponent to the limit in the second set, ultimately falling 17-21.
Singapore mixed doubles pair Terry Hee and Jessica Tan also competed in the Macau Open.
However, the second-seeded pair had their campaign abruptly halted in the first round against Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Chan (Chinese Taipei) when disaster struck as Tan suffered a hamstring injury in the midst of the second set.