Loh Kean Yew battles but falls at Badminton Asia Championships, days after ending his title drought in Spain

SINGAPORE — Ten days after finally ending his 27-month title drought in Spain, Singapore shuttler Loh Kean Yew was unceremoniously brought back down to earth, as he crashed out of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Wednesday (10 April).

The 26-year-old former world champion, who clinched the Madrid Spanish Masters tournament on 31 March to win his first BWF Tour title in over two years, battled world No.12 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan for 80 minutes in his opening-round tie, but ran out of steam as he succumbed 21-18, 18-21, 17-21 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre.

Inconsistency has dogged Loh's year so far. The world No.10 already has third first-round exits in 2024, but he has also reached two quarter-finals and one other final – at the Thailand Masters - aside from his Spanish Masters win.

Still room for improvement: Loh

Loh told The Straits Times following his latest loss, “I feel that I’ve done better than before, but there’s still room for improvement.”

His coach Kelvin Ho also told ST that Loh has shown good fighting spirit and high motivation throughout the year, adding, "We’ve been working on varying his gameplay and strategy. He worked well on this during the match and it is something that will serve him well in future games. Maintaining focus and staying mentally present throughout the game will be critical for his performances.”

While Loh was unsuccessful in getting out of the round of 32 at the Badminton Asia Championships, Singapore's mixed doubles pair of Terry Hee and Jessica Tan fared better, as the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallists defeated Chinese Taipei's Chang Ko-chi and Lee Chih-chen 21-19, 21-9 on Wednesday to advance to the round of 16.

However, they faced tough opponents in China's world No.1 pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong on Thursday, and were eliminated in 34 minutes, losing 11-21, 11-21.

Singapore’s world No.19 women's singles player Yeo Jia Min also clinched a spot in the last-16 via walkover after Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand withdrew. However, she failed to advance further, after losing to eighth-seeded Wang Zhiyi of China 13-21, 14-21 in 40 minutes on Thursday.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.