SINGAPORE: Singapore’s new mixed doubles pairing, Terry Hee and Jin Yujia, captured their maiden title at the Bangladesh International Challenge since their partnership was announced by the Singapore Badminton Association last month.
The duo effortlessly dispatched Bangladesh’s Chand Lal and Smrity Rajbongshi 21-10, 21-3 in a blistering 17-minute display in the Round of 16. Hee and Jin maintained their dominance on the court as they overpowered Malaysians Ashraf Daniel and Lim Xuan 21-10, 21-16 in a mere 20 minutes in the quarter-final match.
In the semi-finals, Hee and Jin faced India’s 95th-ranked duo, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan, but ultimately came away with a convincing 21-11, 21-15 win.
Hee and Jin continued their winning streak and capped off their impressive run with a decisive 21-14, 21-16 victory over India’s Bokka Navaneeth and Ritika Thaker in the final to secure their first title and bring home the prize money of US$1,200 (S$1,600).
“We have just concluded our last tournament of the year. We are happy that we won the gold in the Bangladesh International Challenge,” said Hee, reflecting on their achievement at the Bangladesh International Challenge held at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Dhaka from Dec 17 to 21.
Although the Bangladesh International Challenge is a lower-tiered tournament, it provides a timely confidence boost for both Hee and Jin as they gear up for the Malaysia Open 2025 in January, where they will face stiffer competition.
Hee will definitely be seeking to improve on his semi-final finish with former partner Jessica Tan earlier this year. Hee and Tan were knocked out of the Malaysia Open in the semi-finals, losing to the South Korean seventh-seeded pair Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun.
“We will see you in 2025!” added Hee, who won a historic Commonwealth Games gold medal for Singapore in the mixed doubles competition in 2022 with Jessica Tan.
This latest victory at the Bangladesh International Challenge marks a positive end to the year for Hee and Jin, who began their journey as Singapore’s new mixed doubles pair with a semi-final appearance at the Guwahati Masters held at the Sarju Sarai Indoor Sports Complex in Assam, India, from Dec 3 to 8.
Hee previously won the Guwahati Masters in 2023 with Jessica Tan. This year, however, Hee and new partner Jin failed to advance to the final after losing 21-17, 16-21, 10-21 to Rory Easton and Lizzie Tolman from England in the semi-finals.
Their partnership on the court continued to show promise in their second outing together in the Odisha Masters held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in India from Dec 10 to 15.
Hee and Jin won their opening matches with ease. With their sights set on the final, they displayed grit and determination to overcome a stiff challenge from India’s Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Shivani in a tense three-set semi-final, 21-14, 18-21, 21-19.
However, despite a valiant effort and winning the opening set, the Singapore mixed doubles pair were ultimately edged out 21-15, 15-21, 15-21 by Gao Jia Xuan and Tang Rui Zhi of China in the final of the Odisha Masters.
“Thank you for supporting us at the Odisha Masters. We’re happy that we got the silver and we will continue to work hard,” shared Hee in a video posted by the SBA on their social media page.
“I think it’s a good start to our partnership. Do continue to support us. We really appreciate your support and all the encouragement,” added Jin.
When the SBA announced the new mixed doubles pair in late November, doubles head coach Paulus Firman shared; “The new mixed doubles combination of Terry and Yujia will be a promising one, especially with Yujia having significant experience playing at the elite level.”
“I’m very proud of what Jessica and Terry have achieved on their way to the 2024 Olympics. There were many obstacles they had to overcome, especially coming from behind as a new partnership at the end of 2021 after Terry fulfilled his national service commitments,” added the 55-year-old.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists 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.