Loh Kean Yew loses to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, takes SEA Games singles silver
Singapore's Loh Kean Yew competes at the 31st SEA Games. (Photo: SportSG/Weixiang Lim)
HANOI: Badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew took silver in the men’s singles finals at the 31st SEA Games after losing to Thailand’s world number 18 Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Sunday (May 22).
At the Bac Giang gymnasium, world number 10 Loh lost 13-21, 13-21 to his 21-year-old opponent.
This is the third career meeting between both players. Prior to the match, they had won one encounter each.
24-year-old Loh had also made the finals at the 2019 Games but took silver after being beaten by Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia. Loh also has a singles bronze from the 2015 edition.
On Saturday, the Singaporean beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh in the semi-finals after a nail-biting 21-15, 10-21, 23-21 victory.
Kunlavut beat Singapore’s Jason Teh 21-11, 21-12 in the other men’s singles semi-finals.
The last Singaporean to win the men's singles event was Wong Shoon Keat at the 1983 SEA Games.
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