Frustrating: Ong Yew Sin (left) and Teoh Ee Yi’s defeat in the World Tour Finals ended their campaign this year without a single title.
PETALING JAYA: Keep chasing those dreams.
Those were coach Chin Eei Hui’s parting words of wisdom for independent shuttlers Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi after they narrowly lost 21-17, 13-21 19-21 to old-timers Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals in Bangkok yesterday.
World No. 8 Yew Sin-Ee Yi will surely rue their wasted chances as they matched three-time world champions Ahsan and Hendra in every way but wasted a few shots due to loose forehand returns at the critical stage.
The daddies were equally inconsistent towards the end but just did enough, and with some luck, the experienced pair made it to the final.
They will take on Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi of China, who prevented an all-Indonesian final by upstaging Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto 22-20, 11-21, 21-19 in another thrilling semi-final match.
For Yew Sin-Ee Yi, their defeat in the Finals ended their campaign this year without a single title.
Eei Hui, who will leave for New Zealand to take up a new coaching job with a club there, was proud of the boys.
“Yew Sin-Ee Yi played well but lost ... that’s frustrating,” said Eei Hui.
Eei Hui knows the effort and hard work put in by the 2021 world championships bronze medal winners this year as they badly wanted to win a title after coming close a few times. They, however, have done well to end the year in the world’s top, and are on the right track to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“I just want them to keep reminding themselves on what they want to achieve and chase after those dreams ... never give up,” said Ee Hui.
‘’The only way is to continue to work hard and stay humble ... the results will come.”
Yew Sin-Ee Yi last won a title at the Thailand Masters in 2020 and came close to ending the wait this year but went down to Yuchen-Xuanyi in the Australian Open.
The duo will now prepare for next month’s Malaysian Open.
Meanwhile, mixed pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing were also unable to deliver a perfect farewell gift to Eei Hui.
The world No. 8 suffered their eighth defeat to Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China after bowing out 10-21, 15-21 in 27 minutes.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Anthony Ginting (Ina) bt Jonatan Christie (Ina) 15-21, 21-11, 21-18; Viktor Axelsen (Den) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 21-23, 21-19, 21-18
Men’s doubles: Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 17-21, 21-13, 21-19; Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi (Chn) bt Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (Ina) 22-20, 11-21, 21-19.
Women’s singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-19, 21-10; Tai Tzu-ying (Tpe) bt He Bingjiao (Chn) 21-18, 21-14.
Women’s doubles: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) bt Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu (Chn) 21-19, 21-13; Benyapa Aimsaard-Nuntakarn Aimsaard (Tha) bt Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong (Kor) 22-20, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) bt Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing 21-10, 21-15.
