Hangzhou 2022: Team Singapore’s shuttlers fight hard to keep medal hopes alive

By Jeremiah Ong

After exiting in the men’s team round of 16 to powerhouses Japan last Thursday (Sep 28), Team Singapore’s shuttlers were in search of redemption in the singles and doubles events at the Binjiang Gymnasium.

However, they faced an uphill task after they were dealt with a difficult draw.

The opening match on Monday (Oct 2) saw mixed doubles pair Andy Kwek and Crystal Wong face causeway rivals and world No. 9 Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in the round of 32. They put up a good fight but were eventually outmatched by their higher-ranked opponents, losing 0-2 (17-21, 13-21).

Men’s doubles pair Loh Kean Hean and Kwek faced world No. 15 Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho in the same stage and suffered the same fate as their compatriots after a 0-2 (14-21, 16-21) loss.

On Tuesday (Oct 3), two causeway derbies awaited in the men’s singles and women’s doubles. 

World No. 9 Loh Kean Yew, who received a first-round bye, fell to Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong 0-2 (12-21, 14-21) in the round of 32 on Tuesday (Oct 3). 

Former world champion Loh Kean Yew lost in straight sets to Malaysian opponent Ng Tze Yong. (Photo: SportSG/ Weixiang Lim)

Then, Wong partnered Jin Yujia against world No. 9 Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the women's doubles round of 16.

Despite losing the first set 12-21, the Singaporean pair grew into the game. 

Powerful smashes and long rallies ensued and after stringing together four straight points to level the game at 9-9, scattered cheers could be heard in the crowd for Wong and Jin. 

With the score going to 16-16, it was anyone’s game but they were undone by some smartly-placed shots as the match ended 0-2 (12-21, 16-21).

“We tried to be more aggressive and have the offensive advantage and that's how we started to win most of the points. We also tried to be more confident with our defence, like we opened more towards the back so that they cannot intercept and kill us from the mid-court,” Wong said.

“I think it's because they are very aggressive in terms of attacking so we have to really try to break their attack and need to be more consistent as compared to them,” Jin added.

Women’s doubles pair Jin and Wong playing against rivals Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. (Photo: SportSG/ Weixiang Lim)

Jin also said that the match was a good chance to learn from their opponent.

“I think in terms of attacking and how they set up for their attack and their follow-ups. After they smashed their follow-up, the rotation, everything was very smooth. So it made it very threatening for the opponent (us),” she said.

On Wednesday (Oct 4), Jason Teh was undone by heavy-hitting world No. 2 Anthony Ginting, losing 0-2 (14-21, 18-21).

The Indonesian’s quick smashes proved too much to handle for debutant Teh, who attempted a late comeback in the second set.

Teh faced world No.2 Anthony Ginting in his round of 16 match. (Photo: SportSG/ Weixiang Lim)

Despite the performance, Teh relished playing against one of the world’s best shuttlers.

“I think from the first set to the first half of the second set, I still (could) not adapt to the speed because I seldom play this kind of world-class level players, so the quality of his shot and his speed, endurance and everything is out of my imagination.

“I thought I prepared (enough), I told myself to prepare 100% to be tired and to take everything,” he said.

Teh’s Asiad debut has only whet his appetite for playing on the big stage.

“If I'm playing with this kind of (world-class) player all the time like my senior, Kean Yew… as time goes (by), you can expect this kind of quality. But for me, I'm still playing Super 100, Super 300 or even International Challenge (tournaments) so it is a totally different thing for me. So, I think today (it was) very good to play him because I learned a lot.”

“I believe I have a lot of things to improve on and I think with more time and work, I think I can work myself there,” Teh added.

In the women’s singles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yeo Jia Min started strong in her round of 16 match against home favourite and world No. 3 Chen Yufei, storming to a 7-4 lead in the first set.

In front of a capacity crowd, Yeo managed to upset Chen and close out a tight first set 21-19. However, Chen, buoyed by the vociferous cheers, grew into the game and won the next two sets 21-7 and 21-9 to complete a 2-1 victory.

Yeo took a set off her world No.3 opponent, Chen Yufei, but could not take home the victory. (Photo: SportSG/ Weixiang Lim)

After the match, Yeo was reflective about her performance and ways to improve moving forward.

“I think I definitely have been trying to improve my play and be more all-rounded so I can play against different styles of play. But I think I have to be a bit more quick in how I adapt to difficulties on court. For now, I think I'm still not really, I think, mature enough to deal with the situation. I have to work on that, overcoming the situations on court better,” Yeo said.

In Wednesday’s (Oct 4) other matches, Commonwealth Games mixed doubles champions Terry Hee and Jessica Tan fell to 20th-ranked Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong 0-2 (7-21, 11-21) in the mixed doubles round of 16.

Team Singapore’s shuttlers will still have a shot at medal glory at the Asiad in the form of former world junior No. 1s Nge Joo Jie and Johann Prajogo.

The pair claimed a fuss-free victory against their Nepalese opponents in the men’s doubles round of 16 after a 2-0 (21-11, 21-4) victory. They will face Indian doubles pair, world No. 3 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in the quarterfinals on Thursday (Oct 5).

The 19th Asian Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.