Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew kept his bid for a maiden KFF Singapore Badminton Open men’s singles title alive with a hard-fought quarter-final victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-jen on Friday, May 29, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The former world champion recovered after dropping the opening game to win 16-21, 21-6, 21-8, securing his first victory over Chi in three meetings and moving one step closer to a breakthrough at his home tournament.
The world No. 14 will face Japan’s Koki Watanabe in Saturday’s semi-final. Watanabe, ranked world No. 19, advanced after defeating India’s Lakshya Sen earlier on Friday. Loh’s win guarantees that he will at least match his best result at the Singapore Open. He reached the semi-finals in 2022 before losing to Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting, and a further victory would take him beyond that mark.
Loh had already shown resilience before the quarter-finals. In the round of 16, he was pushed to three games in both of his earlier matches, first overcoming India’s Srikanth Kidambi and then H S Prannoy. Those back-to-back battles underlined the difficulty of his path through the draw, but also highlighted his ability to recover under pressure and raise his level when needed.
His progress also carries added significance for Singapore’s campaign at the tournament. Loh is now the country’s sole remaining representative after early exits for Jason Teh, Yeo Jia Min, and the men’s doubles pair of Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo. That leaves Loh carrying Singapore’s hopes in the closing stages of the event, with a place in the final now within reach if he can continue his run.
The result marks another strong showing for Loh on home soil, where expectations are high and every match comes with added attention. His comeback against Chi demonstrated both patience and control, as he dominated the second and third games to close out the contest in convincing fashion after a slow start.
With the semi-final against Watanabe looming, Loh will be aiming to convert his momentum into a place in the championship match and keep alive the chance of becoming the first Singaporean to win the men’s singles title at the Singapore Open.
