BANGKOK – Loh Kean Yew had not beaten Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie in five previous outings and his hoodoo against the world No. 5 continued on Thursday, after he squandered two match points to lose 21-16, 20-22, 10-21 in their Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals men’s singles Group B match.
The 25-year-old told The Straits Times: “Maybe I wanted the win too badly and I was too rushed. Losing the match points may have affected me too, for I lost focus and started hitting without thinking.
“It is really fine margins for the small details that sometimes determine the match – I need to be fast yet patient, aggressive but not rushed. And today, I didn’t do well enough at the crucial points.”
The defeat – coupled with Indonesian world No. 7 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s 21-14, 12-21, 21-19 win over Taiwanese world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen – means there is all to play for in their final group matches on Friday.
The US$1.5 million (S$2 million) tournament at the Nimibutr Arena features the eight best-performing singles players and doubles pairs, and Loh is the first Singaporean man to qualify for the prestigious season-ender, which ends on Sunday.
The top two players from each group progress to the semi-finals, and Ginting is currently top of Group B with two wins. Both Loh and Christie have one win, but the Singaporean world No. 3 dropped to third because of his latest defeat.
Chou is bottom with two losses and eliminated after also losing to Loh on Wednesday, but can determine who qualifies for the last four.
He can do Loh a favour by beating Christie, as Loh just needs to match Christie’s score to advance on game difference in the event of a three-way tie on one point.
Likewise, Ginting, who beat Christie earlier, could also still be eliminated on game difference if he loses to Loh and Christie beats Chou to leave three players on two wins.
Christie said after the match: “I want to thank God because I’m still alive in this competition to fight tomorrow. Loh played very, very well. He was unbelievable against Chou, he has speed, power and defence, and I think he is perfect.
“I really don’t know how I beat him today. Every time I play against him, it is a very tough match.”
The Singaporean had started their match on the front foot, with his sharpness matching his aggression. The Indonesian stepped up in the second game to build a 7-3 advantage, only for Loh to come back and lead 11-10 at the interval.
In an intriguing tactical battle, they traded leads again after the break and Loh looked to have broken the curse and Christie’s spirit with a diving save to make it 15-15 before leading 20-18.
But Christie produced ferocious smashes to win the game with four points on the trot, before closing out the win in the third game.
Singapore singles coach Kelvin Ho said: “Kean Yew was playing very well right up to his two match points. But he was less decisive during the match points and after losing the second game, perhaps in terms of mindset, he could not turn around in time.
“I will tell him to treat the next match like a final, we have to do our part and not look to rely on others.”
Loh added: “Obviously it sucks to lose, but I need to get over this disappointment and give it my all again tomorrow.”
In Group A, Danish world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen is through to the semi-finals after breezing past Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-5, 21-15.
This sets up a Friday shoot-out between the world No. 14 and China’s 17th-ranked Lu Guangzu for the other semi-final spot. Lu had beaten India’s H. S. Prannoy 23-21, 17-21, 21-19 to eliminate the world No. 12.
In a highly competitive women’s singles Group A, China’s Olympic gold medallist Chen Yufei beat Japan’s world champion and world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi 21-19, 21-18. All four players in the group now have one win and one loss after South Korea’s world No. 2 An Se-young beat Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-9, 11-21, 21-10.
