Badminton: Loh Kean Yew eases into Asia Championships quarter-finals
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Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in action against Thailand at the Badminton Asia Championships in Manila, on April 27, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
SINGAPORE - Loh Kean Yew breezed into the last eight of the Badminton Asia Championships men's singles after a straight-sets victory in the round of 16 match on Thursday (April 28).
Loh who is world No. 10, wrapped up the 21-16, 21-6 win in 30 minutes at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Manila as he saw off Japanese Koki Watanabe, who is ranked 46th in the world.
Loh, who won the world title in Huelva, Spain last December, is now just three victories away from becoming an Asian champion. He will face Indonesian Jonatan Christie in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The Indonesian, who is two places above Loh in the world rankings and had beaten the Singaporean at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, beat Malaysian shuttler Daren Liew 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 to progress to the last eight.
The tournament has already seen a huge upset as defending champion and world No. 2 Kento Momota suffered a shock first-round defeat on Wednesday after a loss to Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, ranked 52nd in the world.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is the highest ranked player left in the men's singles competition. The Indonesian is ranked fifth.
The annual badminton tournament is part of the BWF 1000 series and returns after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19. This year marks the 39th edition of the tournament.
In the women's draw, top seed Akane Yamaguchi was given a scare by 317th-ranked qualifier Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi before battling into the quarter-finals.
Men’s top seed Kento Momota was surprisingly dumped out in the first round on Wednesday and Yamaguchi looked in danger of going the same way as her fellow Japanese in Manila.
Indonesia’s Dewi grabbed the first game 23-21, but reigning champion Yamaguchi recovered to take the next two 21-9, 21-19 and seal the match in 46 minutes.
She plays Thailand’s sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in the last eight.
Second seed An Se-young enjoyed smoother passage with a 21-7, 21-19 defeat of China’s Zhang Yiman.
India’s fourth seed P.V. Sindhu is also through to the last eight, where she faces fifth seed He Bingjiao of China.
