After 9 first-round exits, Singapore shuttler Jason Teh bags final berth at Vietnam Open

SINGAPORE – There was finally some light at the end of a dark season for Singapore badminton player Jason Teh on Sept 12, when he beat India’s H. S. Prannoy 21-13, 21-8 to progress to the men’s singles final of the US$120,000 (S$152,000) Vietnam Open.

At the Nguyen Du Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Sept 13, he will take on Malaysia’s 91st-ranked Aidil Sholeh, who won in three games in their only previous encounter in 2023.

World No. 33 Teh told The Straits Times: “I’m happy to make the final, especially because I’m able to play to the best of my abilities. I just want to enjoy the process and give my best.

“It’s been frustrating training hard, only to not perform well, on top of other personal challenges. For me, the only way through a difficult situation is to keep training hard and work through the problems in practice. I just hope the public continues to support Team Singapore athletes.”

After a breakthrough 2025 season that saw him win the Thailand Masters and Korea Masters for his first two titles on the Badminton World Federation World Tour – he also reached a career-high world No. 19 – Teh went off the boil.

Before his Vietnam Open run, he won just 11 out of 30 matches and suffered nine first-round exits in 15 World Tour events in 2026, falling out of the top 30 and missing out on the Sept 19-Oct 4 Asian Games. His only title came in the Polish Open, an International Challenge event below the World Tour.

However, the 26-year-old managed to put together a fine run at the Vietnam Open, a Super 100 event that is on the lower tier of the World Tour.

In the earlier rounds, he beat India’s Manraj Singh (113rd), China’s Wang Zijun (173rd) and Korea Masters champion Zhu Xuanchen (47th), before dismantling Prannoy (40th), a wily veteran who won men’s singles bronze at the world championships and Asian Games in 2023.

National singles assistant coach Kelvin Ho said: “Jason needs self-belief. His training commitment is never in question, but self-belief is what makes the difference in tournaments. Bravery, steady focus, and consistent high-quality play are also key.”

Teammates Terry Hee and Howin Wong are also in the Vietnam Open men’s doubles final, in only their third outing seems pairing up.

They saved four match-points to beat China’s Chen Junting and Huang Di 21-17, 8-21, 24-22 and will face 32nd-ranked Taiwanese pair Chen Zhi-ray and Lin Yu-chieh for the title.

Hee, 31, said: “Today’s match was a real test of our mental strength. We stayed patient and trusted each other even when we were trailing.”

Wong, 25, added: “We are really happy and excited to make it this far. Going into tomorrow’s final, we just want to focus on our game plan and communicate well on court.”

Noting their “huge potential”, national doubles head coach Paulus Firman said: “Terry’s experience and Howin’s power combined makes them a great pair. Most importantly, their attitude and trust in each other are growing with every match.

“They are still building their rotation and court coverage, but their synergy is developing very quickly.”

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David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times, focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.