Loh Kean Yew makes history for Singapore with quarters win, guaranteed World Championships medal

SINGAPORE: Badminton player Loh Kean Yew will become the first Singaporean to ever win a medal at the BWF World Championships after he beat India’s HS Prannoy on Friday (Dec 17).

The Singaporean’s 21-14, 21-12 over Prannoy in the men’s singles quarter-finals means that the world number 22 has progressed to the final four of the tournament in Huelva, Spain.

Loh will next face Denmark’s world number 3 Anders Antonsen in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Regardless of the result, Loh is now at least guaranteed a shared bronze.

While his previous two matches were relatively straightforward affairs for the Singaporean, this one was anything but, as Prannoy’s patient approach forced a number of long rallies and posed some issues.

However, Loh would go into the interval 11-8 ahead after a few mistakes by his opponent. While Prannoy did his best to stay within touching distance, the Singaporean would stretch his lead and take the first game.

Prannoy wasn’t out of it however, and took a 6-4 lead in the second game. However, Loh would keep focused and grind out a 11-8 interval lead. The 24-year-old continued in that vein to take the win in just over 40 minutes.

The victory marks the best ever finish for a Singaporean in any edition of the World Championships.

Yeo Jia Min had reached the women’s singles quarter-finals in the previous edition of the World Championships, while Ronald Susilo was also eliminated in the same stage in 2007.

The mixed doubles pair of Chayut Triyachart and Yao Lei also reached the quarters in 2011, while Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia also achieved the same feat in 2007 for the women’s doubles.

The win is Loh’s first career victory over the Indian, having faced the world number 32 twice and losing on both occasions.

Earlier in the tournament, Loh upset world number one Viktor Axelsen in the first round, before going on to cruise past Austria's Luka Wraber in 25 minutes.

Loh then thrashed Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen in their round of 16 clash on Thursday, taking the match in just 30 minutes.

In the previous edition of the World Championships, Loh made the last 16 before being knocked out by Chou Tien-Chen.

Loh won his first career BWF World Tour Super 500 title at the Hylo Open last month. He also took the Dutch Open crown in October.