Singapore's 182nd-ranked Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han win India Open badminton mixed doubles title
Married couple Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han pulled off their biggest win by clinching the India Open mixed doubles title, beating Malaysia's 40th-ranked Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei 21-15, 21-18 on Sunday (Jan 16).
In the 40-minute match at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, the Singaporeans, who are ranked world No. 182, handled their nerves better and were more aggressive as they recorded the upset at the US$400,000 (S$539,000) event.
This is their seventh title as a partnership. For their first Super 500 triumph, the fourth tier of the Badminton World Federation World Tour circuit, they collected a US$31,600 winners' cheque, the biggest of their career, and are set to make a swift return to the top 100 in the world rankings.
Hee and Tan, who tied the knot last October, were ranked as high as 33rd in 2017. They halted their partnership in 2019 when Hee enlisted for national service, and reunited on court only in 2021.
Later in the day, world champion and 15th-ranked Loh Kean Yew was to take on India's world No. 17 Lakshya Sen in the men's singles final. If he wins, the 24-year-old Singaporean should break into the top 10 for the first time in his career when the new rankings list is released on Tuesday.
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