Jason Teh ends finals hoodoo with Thailand Masters badminton title

Fall down seven times, get up eight is a Japanese proverb about resilience. It is also the perfect description for Jason Teh’s professional badminton career.

At the eighth time of asking, he finally got his hands on his first international title after beating China’s Wang Zhengxing 21-18, 15-21, 21-19 in the Thailand Masters men’s singles final on Feb 2.

The elated 24-year-old told The Straits Times: “I was lucky to win today. Honestly, either of us could have won the final. But I have definitely learnt a lot from my past losses, and the experience helped me with this victory.”

Following his winning smash, he threw his racket to the ground – breaking it and his hoodoo – and took off his jersey to expose a full-chest tattoo with the words “Be Fearless Be Brave”.

In the final of the US$240,000 (S$325,000) Super 300 event at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, he was all these and more.

He came out with all guns blazing with quick reflexes and even faster smashes to take an early lead.

Each time Wang threatened a comeback, Teh responded and deservedly won the opening game. He was immaculate with his tight net shots, patient to win 19- and 23-shot rallies, and composed even when his opponent cut his 15-8 and 18-12 advantages to just one point at 19-18.

 

Before the final, the Singaporean’s head-to-head record with his 39th-ranked rival was 1-1. But he had his own demons to conquer after losing all his previous seven finals, including five in 2024.

With victory in sight, the struggle surfaced in the second game as he quickly found himself trailing 9-19. A brief resurgence of six successive points provided hope, but it was quickly snuffed out by his own unforced errors.

The nail-biting decider could be the game that redefines Teh’s career.

In control from the start, he wobbled after the interval as his 17-14 lead turned into 17-18 and 18-19 deficits.

But just as he looked down and out, it was southpaw Wang’s turn to get cold feet as he dumped two shots into the net, and Teh pounced with a flurry of smashes to bag his first international trophy and his biggest hongbao of US$18,000.

He added: “It has been super tough. Every time I lose a final, I will learn, reflect and try to win the next one. But I just kept losing, so that was mentally draining.

“I had some doubts for a while at the end of this final, but I quickly told myself not to think about any negative things. I regained my focus and reminded myself that my main objective was just to win points. I’m happy I persevered and could finally win a final today.”

This Chinese New Year, the world No. 30 has looked like a man on a mission.

After winning his first match at the Super 750 level at the India Open and making it to his first Super 500 quarter-final at the Indonesia Masters, he ditched the festivities to remain on the Badminton World Federation World Tour to hunt for more ranking points and a title.

His sacrifice has paid off this week after he beat Israel’s world No. 64 Misha Zilberman, Indonesia’s 159th-ranked Zaki Ubaidillah, South Korea’s world No. 35 Jeon Hyeok-jin, Ireland’s 42nd-ranked Nhat Nguyen, and Wang in front of sizeable Singaporean support.

National singles coach Kim Ji-hyun said she is over the moon with Teh’s breakthrough title.

“He has been working so hard by himself over the past many months, and his efforts have finally paid off,” added the South Korean, who has urged Teh to remain focused and aim for success in the higher-tier Super 500, 750 and 1000 events.

“We will get there together. This is definitely a huge confidence booster for him as he heads into the All England for the first time in his career next month. Of course, Jason understands that this is just a stepping stone to ultimately getting on the podium at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

Following his superb start to the Year of the Snake, Teh will slide up into the 20s in the world ranking for the first time in his career.

While he remains Singapore’s No. 2 men’s singles player behind Loh Kean Yew, he will be encouraged by his fellow Penang-born senior’s trajectory after a similar breakthrough for his first World Tour title at this same event.

In 2019, Loh beat Chinese legend Lin Dan at the Thailand Masters en route to qualifying for two Olympics, winning the 2021 world championship and rising to superstardom.

Previously, after his earlier setbacks in Poland (twice), Bahrain, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia and India, these achievements may seem like a pipe dream for Teh. But now, like the tattoo on the inside of his left forearm says, he can start to believe he is made for greater things.

Promising to take his on-site coach Vega Nirwanda to a good meal in Thailand, he thanked those who have kept faith in him, and vowed: “I will continue to do my best to achieve whatever I can.”

In the women’s singles final, top-seeded Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, the world No. 8, came from behind to beat Indonesia’s 45th-ranked Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi 18-21, 21-16, 21-13.