BWF World Championships 2023: Loh Kean Yew out in the round of 16
India's HS Prannoy proved to be too strong for the 2021 men’s singles world champion, having now beaten Loh in three out of four encounters.
Badminton
Singapore's badminton ace Loh Kean Yew will not be able to reclaim his title this year, after losing to HS Prannoy in the round of 16 at the BWF World Championships 2023 on Thursday (24 August).
2021 world champion Loh got off to a good start and was leading 11-8 at the break of the first game. But the momentum switched back to Prannoy who led for the first time at e 17-16 and managed to take home the game 21-18.
Seventh seed Loh was up 11-8 at the interval in the second game and this time the star shuttler from Singapore kept a cool head taking it 21-15.
Playing more aggressively in the decider, Prannoy jumped to a 4-0 lead before Loh was able to level the score at 14-14. After an extremely tight affair, the Indian drew converted his first match point to clinch the game 21-19 progressing to the quarter-finals.
The number nine seed will now face Olympic champion and reigning world champion Viktor Axelsen.
Earlier in the tournament, Loh knocked out 38-year-old Spaniard Pablo Abian and Azerbaijan's Indonesian-born Ade Resky Dwicahyo.
Prannoy ousted Finish Kalle Koljonen and Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in his first two matches.
26-year-old Loh won the world title in 2021 after upsetting several higher-ranked players, including current world number one Axelsen and Prannoy. Last year, he crashed out to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarter-finals. It was not to be this year.
Loh has experienced ups and downs this season reaching the finals at the Asia Championships and Korea Open but also suffered a few first-round exits.
Elsewhere, in women’s singles seventh-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand lost to unseeded Okuhara Nozomi (Japan) 21-19, 21-16. Okuhara is looking to meet world number one An Se-young in the quarter-finals.
The 2023 BWF World Championships in Copenhagen can be followed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions may apply). The tournament concludes on Sunday 27 August.
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