Jason Teh clinches 2nd spot at Macau Open
It was a bittersweet feeling for Singapore’s Jason Teh as he clinched a runner-up spot at the Macau Open after losing 21-19, 21-17 to Hong Kong’s Angus Ng in the men’s singles final on Sept 29.
While he was happy to have reached his first Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 final, Teh was also disappointed, knowing that he could have done better against his 30-year-old opponent.
The 24-year-old, who pocketed US$7,980 (S$10,000) in prize money, said: “I think my opponent played really well today. He gave me a lot of pressure from the front court and I think this is one of the main factors that contributed to his win today.
“But I’ll stay positive because I thought today’s match was a good lesson and experience for me.”
This is the furthest that he has gone in his badminton career. His previous best was in June when he reached the semi-finals of the US Open, another Super 300 tournament which is behind the Super 1000, 750 and 500 events.
National singles head coach Kelvin Ho said: “Jason played very patiently and it’s good progress for him. He has worked hard mentally, physically and (created the) lifestyle to get to where he is today.
“He just needs to work on his mentality as he made simple unforced errors during crucial moments too easily. These small details are important for tight games like these.”
Ho also hopes that Teh would be “more disciplined” in terms of rest, as recovery is also an important factor.
Teh had beaten another Hong Konger – world No. 16 and top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu – en route to the final, but was a pale shadow of himself and was sluggish in the opening rallies during the final which Ng clinched in 49 minutes at the Macau East Asian Games Dome.
Ng started stronger, gaining a 4-1 lead over his 44th-ranked opponent in the opening minutes.
The world No. 25 Hong Konger then pounced on some indecision by the Singaporean, capitalising on Teh’s poor positioning to surge ahead.
Several times, Teh fought back to erase Ng’s lead, which grew to five points at one stage. He also reeled in three straight points to level at 19-19, but mistakes in quick succession saw him fall 21-19 in the first game.
Teh started the second game with renewed vigour as he built a slender lead.
But, as the game wore on, he was unable to extend his advantage beyond three points, allowing Ng to catch up with his aggressive play.
The second seed gained four consecutive points to lead 11-9 as he wrested the lead.
Teh’s frustration then grew as a few of his smashes hit the net, widening the gap for Ng to clinch the second game 21-17 and bag US$15,750 in prize money.
Asked whether he felt frustrated towards the end of the match, Teh said: “I don’t think so. But I think I rushed a little bit every time when the points got close and my opponent was calmer than me.
“This result is so far the biggest achievement. I’ll keep working hard and hopefully I can achieve better results in the future.”
Teh will next play in the US$100,000 Malaysia Super 100 tournament at the Bukit Kiara Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 15 to 20.
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