Loh Kean Yew, Yeo Jia Min and Mixed Doubles pair Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han are set to represent Singapore in the home tournament
27 MAY 2024, SINGAPORE - Excitement builds at Singapore Sports Hub once again as tomorrow marks the return of the KFF Singapore Badminton Open. Poised to set the Singapore Indoor Stadium alight, the spectacle will see badminton’s best, including world number ones Viktor Axelsen and An Se Young take to the court for the crown.
Alongside international superstars, the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event will also see Singapore’s top shuttlers battle it out on home ground. All eyes will be on former World Champion and local favourite Loh Kean Yew, current Commonwealth Games Mixed Doubles Champions Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han, as well as world number 18 Yeo Jia Min, as the quartet hopes to perform for the local fans.
“The home crowd is behind us so we don't have to be afraid. We just have to give our 100% and hope to do well,” said Terry.
The mixed doubles pair — also a married couple — share differing opinions on the pressures of playing on home soil.
“Singapore Open is actually the tournament I’m most nervous for because I know that when we walk onto the court, the entire stadium is here to support us. Everyone really wants us to do well so there’s that pressure that we won't be able to perform to our best. It’s all part of the journey and it’s a challenge we have to embrace,” shared Wei Han.
The pair will take on fourth seeds Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yu Jung in the first round. Despite the demands, the Singapore Open is nonetheless special to Wei Han and the other athletes.
“Singapore Open is one of the tournaments I look forward to most every year. It’s especially meaningful as we’ll have our friends and family coming to support us so it means a lot,” gushed Wei Han.
Fellow Team Singapore shuttler, Jia Min echoed, “My family and friends will get to see me play live. It always gives me motivation to do well because there’ll also be a lot of Singaporean fans and upcoming young players watching.”
Like Terry and Wei Han, Jia Min is set to face a tough, seeded opponent in the first round. Eighth seed, He Bing Jiao has beaten the Singaporean in every head-to-head so far but for Jia Min, who has just returned from injury, hopes lie in maintaining her physical fitness ahead of the Paris Olympics in July.
“The last week has been a rollercoaster for me because I wasn't sure if I could even play. I took it day by day and did what I could off the court to make sure I get back to close to 100% fitness,” she explained.
“Thankfully I was able to recover relatively fast. I’m hoping to maintain my fitness and keeping in mind that the Olympics are near, I’ll try to keep injury-free from now on.”
Fan-favourite Kean Yew will be taking on China’s Lu Guang Zu in his opening round fixture. Since the Team Singapore shuttler won the Madrid Masters in march, he has competed in the Thailand Open and Malaysian Masters, both of which the Singaporean bowed out of in the opening round.
However, the world number 12 will be looking to redeem himself and advance past Lu, who he has triumphed over in their last two head-to-head matches.
“I’m not sure if it’s pressure or excitement but I get more nervous in front of a home crowd. It’s a good thing though as it motivates me to play better. It’s all about handling the pressure,” shared Kean Yew.
“Ultimately, it’s how we perform on the day. I treat every match like it's the final day of the tournament. You can prepare yourself more mentally but training wise, we only have so much time each day so there’s only so much we can do with our bodies.”
The KFF Singapore Badminton Open begins tomorrow (28 May) and runs through Sunday (2 June) , culminating in the finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Limited tickets are still available here.
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