Singapore Open 2023: Loh Kean Yew crashes out in second round at home tournament
World number five Loh lost to unseeded Christo Popov of France in straight games. Popov will face world number three Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the quarter-finals.
Badminton
Loh Kean Yew suffered a shock second round exit in front of his home crowd at the Singapore Sports Hub on Thursday (8 June).
Christo Popov defeated the 2021 world champion Loh 10-21, 21-23 in the second round of the men's singles at the Singapore Open 2023 badminton tournament.
The Singaporean still has not made it further than the quarter-finals in any tournament this year.
Thai shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn awaits Popov in the quarter-finals, after he beat Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia in his second round match 21-18, 22-24, 21-13.
World numer three Vitidsarn won Thailand Open last weekend to become the first men's singles player on the BWF World Tour to have won more than one tournament this year. Last year’s runner-up at the World Championship also won India Open in January.
Meanwhile Naraoka Kodai of Japan and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen are through to the quarter-finals in Singapore. Naraoka defeated India's Priyanshu Rajawat 21-17, 21-16, while Antonsen won against Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 21-15.
In the women’s singles, world number one Yamaguchi Akane will face her countrywoman Ohori Aya in the quarterfinals. World number two Se Young An of the Republic of Korea progressed to the last eight by beating the unseeded Jia Min Yeo.
Singapore Open is a BWF World Tour Super 750 event. The tournament concludes on Sunday 11 June. Viewers can watch action live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions apply).