Clarissa San is preparing for the biggest challenge of her young badminton career after receiving a surprise call-up to partner reigning world champion Chen Tang Jie at several major BWF World Tour events.
The 20-year-old mixed doubles player will temporarily team up with Tang Jie for the Japan Open, China Open and Taiwan Open after his regular partner Toh Ee Wei was sidelined with a knee injury.
For Clarissa, the opportunity represents a major step up from the lower-tier tournaments she has been competing in, placing her directly on one of badminton's biggest stages alongside one of Malaysia's top mixed doubles players.
Despite the sudden rise in expectations, Clarissa is keeping her approach simple and focusing on learning from the experience.
"I don't have many expectations because it's my first time playing in such a big tournament," she said.
"My focus is just to give my best and bring onto the court everything we've been working on in training every day."
Although she is relatively new to the international spotlight, Clarissa has already shown promising potential. Last year, she won back-to-back mixed doubles titles at the Bangladesh International Series and Bangladesh International Challenge alongside Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah. She has also gained valuable experience competing in Super 100 tournaments and the Malaysia Masters qualifiers.
Partnering with Tang Jie has also provided Clarissa with an important source of guidance. She described the world champion as both a mentor and an older brother figure, helping her adapt to the demands of playing at the highest level.
"I still have a lot to learn on court, but Tang Jie has been a very good mentor and like a big brother to me," Clarissa said.
"Whenever I make mistakes, he helps and guides me, so I think our partnership has been progressing quite well."
Source: The Star
National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto has also encouraged Clarissa to embrace the opportunity and trust the preparation she has put in during training.
"Coach Nova tells me every day not to be afraid because we've been putting in the work during training," she said.
"He always reminds me to just go all out, trust what I've been practising and enjoy myself on court."
With Ee Wei expected to be sidelined while recovering from a minor anterior cruciate ligament injury, Clarissa could have several tournaments to develop her partnership with Tang Jie. While results remain a secondary focus, she hopes to gain valuable experience and make the most of this unexpected opportunity.
"I just want to learn as much as I can from this experience," she said.
"And if we can win matches along the way, that would be even better."
For Clarissa, the upcoming tournaments could become a defining moment in her career and a chance to prove she belongs among badminton's rising talents.
