Tan Boon Heong
Tan Boon Heong is a former World No.1 Malaysian male professional badminton player in the men's doubles event.
Badminton career
2004-2006
He was previously paired with Hoon Thien How, with whom he won the World Junior Championships in 2004 and a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Badminton Championships.2006
Nearing the Doha XV Asian Games in 2006, Rexy Mainaky decided to split them up and partner Tan Boon Heong with Koo Kien Keat instead. This move, nevertheless, proved to be spot-on as this pair went on to become the Asian Games champion, winning the gold medal in their maiden outing by defeating the then Chinese world champions, Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng, in the quarterfinals, Indonesia's Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan in the semifinals, and finally Luluk Hadiyanto-Alvent Yulianto Chandra, also from Indonesia, in the finals. They are the youngest men double to win gold medal at Asian Games at the age of 21 and 19 respectively.2007
2007 was the best year for Koo and Tan. They became the first qualifiers to win the Super Series at the Malaysian Open. They also became the World No.1 that year. They won their first All England Super Series after beating Chinese pair, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng in straight games.2008
They competed at the 2008 Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals.2009
At the 2009 Japan Super Series, Boon Heong set the world record for badminton smashes at 421 km/h. This was done under lab conditions and recorded by Yonex representatives, and not in an official match. Later, two won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships2010
At the 2010 BWF World Championships, Boon Heong and partner Koo Kien Keat launched themselves into the semifinals after beating Korean rivals Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung. In the semifinals they defeated China's Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen 21-14, 21-18. Tan Boon Heong and Koo Kien Keat wrote their names in the record books, being the first Malaysian pair to enter a World Championships Final in 13 years. In the finals they played China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and lost 21-18, 18-21, 14-21. The year 2010 was the last time Koo and Tan ranked World No.1.2011
At the 2011 All England Super Series Premier, Boon Heong and Kien Keat defeated 2008 Olympic champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals. They then defeated World champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng 21-11, 23-21. They lost to Danes and world no.1 Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-15, 18-21, 18-21. In doing so, they failed to win their 2nd All England title.2012
They competed at the 2012 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals, and losing 2 - 0 in the bronze medal match.Koo Kien Keat#cite note-3|Koo Kien Keat#cite note-4|2013
They suffered a lot of early round exits in 2013 and a three-year major title drought but they managed to remain in the top 5 of the world ranking.2014
As of March 2014 following the resignation of his partner, Koo Kien Keat, which was due to their deteriorating performance, Tan was scratch partnered with several men's doubles players including Goh V Shem, Ow Yao Han, Hoon Thien How and Tan Wee Keong. Following the tournament, Tan has been officially repartnered with Hoon Thien How. In August that year, Koo returned to play his last tournament with Tan at the 2014 BWF World Championships. Their last match together was in the third round where they lost to a Chinese Taipei pair with a score of 19-21 in the deciding game.2015
In early 2015, Tan announced his resignation from the Badminton Association of Malaysia. Koo and Tan announced that they are coming out of retirement and try to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics before they call it quits for good. They are currently sponsored by They have achieved some breakthroughs this year. Winning the Russian Open, Yonex Dutch Open and finishing runners up in the Thailand Open. They have also made it to 2 Super Series quarterfinals in Australia and Korea.2016
Tan and Koo had a string of good runs to finish in 11th place in the 2016 race to Rio Olympics standings. However they did not manage to qualify because they were ranked behind fellow Malaysians Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong.2017
Tan and Hendra Setiawan debut tournament at Syed Modi International 2017 tournament, they managed to advance until the quarter-finals. They reached the final round at the Australian Open but were beaten by 3rd seed Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda from Japan2018
He was partner with Yoo Yeon Seong from South Korea. Subsequently, he was partner with Kim Sa Rang and they play together in men's doubles in Purple League 18/19.2019
Tan was also currently training with Goh V Shem, Tan Wee Kiong, Goh Liu Ying and Chan Peng Soon after their resignation from Badminton Association of Malaysia.Achievements
BWF World Championships
Men's doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2010 | Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 18–21, 14–21 | Silver |
2009 | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–16, 14–21, 20–22 | Bronze |
Commonwealth Games
Men's doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2010 | Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–19, 21–14 | Gold |
Asian Games
Men's doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2010 | Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–16, 24–26, 19–21 | Silver |
2006 | Aspire Hall 3, Doha, Qatar | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–13, 21–14 | Gold |
Asian Championships
Men's doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2008 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–16, 16–21, 18–21 | Bronze |
2007 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 14–21, 21–11, 12–21 | Silver |
2006 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–17, 11–21, 12–21 | Silver |
Southeast Asian Games
Men's doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2009 | National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 17–21, 17–21 | Silver |
World Junior Championships
Boys' doublesYear | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2004 | Minoru Arena, Richmond, Canada | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 15–6, 3–15, 15–12 | Gold |
BWF Superseries (8 titles, 10 runners-up)
The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation. BWF Superseries has two levels: Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.Men's doubles
Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2017 | Australian Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 17–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
2013 | French Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 16–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
2012 | Hong Kong Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
2012 | Denmark Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–19, 11–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
2012 | Japan Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 16–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
2011 | All England Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 18–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
2010 | Japan Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 14–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
2010 | Swiss Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
2010 | Malaysia Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 17–21, 21–16 | Winner |
2009 | China Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 13–21, 21–19, 18–21 | Runner-up |
2009 | French Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 15–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
2009 | Denmark Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 20–22, 21–14, 21–17 | Winner |
2009 | Swiss Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–14, 21–18 | Winner |
2008 | Super Series Masters Finals | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 21–14 | Winner |
2007 | Denmark Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 14–21, 21–14, 21–12 | Winner |
2007 | Swiss Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 17–21, 21–16, 21–12 | Winner |
2007 | All England Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 21–18 | Winner |
2007 | Malaysia Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 21–18 | Winner |
BWF Grand Prix (8 titles, 5 runners-up)
The BWF Grand Prix has two levels, the Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation since 2007. The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation since 1983.Men's doubles
Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2016 | Vietnam Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 14–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
2016 | Malaysia Masters | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 13–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
2015 | Dutch Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 21–10 | Winner |
2015 | Thailand Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 22–20, 21–23, 16–21 | Runner-up |
2013 | Malaysia Masters | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 20–22, 15–21 | Runner-up |
2012 | Malaysia Masters | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–15, 21–19 | Winner |
2011 | Malaysia Masters | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–16, 21–7 | Winner |
2009 | Macau Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–14, 17–21, 21–12 | Winner |
2009 | Malaysia Masters | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–11, 21–13 | Winner |
2008 | Macau Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–16, 21–18 | Winner |
2007 | Macau Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–18, 17–21, 23–21 | Winner |
2007 | Philippines Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–8, 26–24 | Winner |
2006 | Japan Open | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 15–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up)
Men's doublesYear | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
2019 | Dubai International | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 14–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
2019 | South Australia International | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 14–21, 21–17, 16–21 | Runner-up |
2019 | Perth International | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–17, 21–16 | Winner |
2015 | Swiss International | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 18–21, 21–16, 21–16 | Winner |
2015 | White Nights | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–10, 21–12 | Winner |
2015 | Sri Lanka International | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 21–19, 21–17 | Winner |
Record against selected opponents
Men's Doubles results with Koo Kien Keat against Super Series finalists, Worlds Semi-finalists, and Olympic quarterfinalists, plus all Olympic opponents.- Cai Yun & Fu Haifeng 5–11
- Chai Biao & Guo Zhendong 1–0
- Sun Junjie & Xu Chen 0–1
- Cai Yun & Xu Chen 0–1
- Liu Xiaolong & Qiu Zihan 6–1
- Guo Zhendong & Xie Zhongbo 1–0
- Chai Biao & Hong Wei 0–1
- Guo Zhendong & Xu Chen 3–0
- Fang Chieh-min & Lee Sheng-mu 1–1
- Lee Sheng-mu & Tsai Chia-hsin 2–3
- Lars Påske & Jonas Rasmussen 3–2
- Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen 10–5
- Jonas Rasmussen & Mads Conrad-Petersen 1–1
- Jens Eriksen & Martin Lundgård Hansen 4–0
- / Anthony Clark & Robert Blair 1–1
- Anthony Clark & Nathan Robertson 2–1
- Muhammad Ahsan & Bona Septano 2–3
- Luluk Hadiyanto & Alvent Yulianto Chandra 1–1
- Markis Kido & Hendra Setiawan 7–4
- Angga Pratama & Ryan Agung Saputra 1–1
- Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo & Marcus Fernaldi Gideon 0-3
- Muhammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan 2–1
- Markis Kido & Gideon Markus Fernaldi 0–1
- Shuichi Sakamoto & Shintaro Ikeda 3–2
- Naoki Kawamae & Shoji Sato 5–0
- Hirokatsu Hashimoto & Noriyasu Hirata 2–2
- Hiroyuki Endo & Kenichi Hayakawa 3–0
- Cho Gun-woo & Shin Baek-cheol 1–0
- Jung Jae-sung & Lee Yong-dae 3–13
- Ko Sung-hyun & Yoo Yeon-seong 1–6
- Lee Jae-jin & Hwang Ji-man 1–1
- Ko Sung-hyun & Lee Yong-dae 1–2
- Lee Yong-dae & Yoo Yeon-seong 0–1
- Kim Gi-jung & Kim Sa-rang 1–6
- Choong Tan Fook & Lee Wan Wah 3–1
- Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif & Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari 6–4
- Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong 0-2
- Bodin Issara & Maneepong Jongjit 2–0
- Howard Bach & Tony Gunawan 3–0
- / Tony Gunawan & Candra Wijaya 2–2