MALAYSIA OPEN: SUPER SINGAPOREANS MARCH ON

PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2024 will live long in the memories of Terry Hee Yong Kai and his courtesan Jessica Tan Wei Han.

They first defeated the two higher ranked mixed pairs Ye Hong Wei/Lee Chia Hsin and Supak Jomkoh/Supissara Paewsampra to reach the quarterfinals.

Today they reached the semifinals of the Girls' side of the Super 1000, beating sixth seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-16 21-19. It was their first win in five matches against Thailand.

“I still can't believe what we did. Although we really wanted it, we didn't expect to progress, Tan admitted after the match. "The first game put them under pressure because they had to win the second."

Husband Hee added: “We were the underdogs, but we only gave one hundred and ten percent to fight and experience them.

“A very tiring battle, both ends were difficult. As the match progressed, the shuttle slowed down. We are happy to be in the quarter finals, we will continue to do our best.

Their coach's pre-match instruction was simply to "learn not to die" and Tan took it literally, throwing himself around the court in what proved to be a top-notch defensive performance; the manner in which the pitch was secured reflects his sometimes superhuman efforts.