SINGAPORE – For 34 minutes, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan tried to match the intensity of their world No. 1 opponents Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong. But their efforts were in vain.

Amid a flurry of rallies and smashes, the Singapore pair not only fell 21-11, 21-11 to the home favourites in the round of 16 of the Badminton Asia Championships in China on April 11, but also lost their chances of clinching a direct spot for the Paris Olympics.