Underdogs Hee and Tan upset Malaysian counterparts Chen and Peck in New Delhi to win seventh mixed doubles title as a partnership
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16 January 2021, New Delhi, India - Singapore shuttlers Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han have won the YONEX-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament, claiming their biggest victory in the mixed doubles category after defeating Malaysia's 40th-ranked duo Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei 21-15, 21-18 on Sunday.
The married couple's most recent mixed doubles title came at the Li-Ning Czech Open last October, and they sealed a perfect possible start to the new year by recording an upset against their fancied Malaysian counterparts to win the US$400,000 event.
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The championship win is the couple's seventh title as a partnership, and their first Super 500 triumph, the fourth tier of the Badminton World Federation World Tour circuit, which is likely to see them make a swift return to the top 100 in the world rankings.
At the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the Singaporean duo, who are ranked world No. 182, handled their nerves better and were more aggressive as they recorded the upset in 40 minutes.
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Hee and Tan had earlier reached the final after the semi-final was declared a walkover when Russian opponents Rodion Alimov and Alina Davletova had to withdraw from the tournament after Alimov tested Covid positive.
They had also needed to navigate their way past homeground favourites Nithin and Ashwini Bhat in the quarter finals, winning 21-15, 21-19.
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Hee and Tan, who tied the knot last October, were once ranked as high as 33rd in the world in 2017.