Loh Kean Yew digs deep to beat H.S. Prannoy and reach Singapore Badminton Open q-finals

SINGAPORE – Loh Kean Yew is one step closer to his dream of clinching a title on home court as he marched into the men’s singles quarter-finals of the US$1 million (S$1.28 million) KFF Singapore Open with a 21-18, 16-21, 21-15 win over India’s 35th-ranked H.S. Prannoy on May 28.

The world No. 14 will meet 18th-ranked Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 29 for a place in the semi-finals.

After the 61-minute match against Prannoy, Loh said: “Honestly, it was quite overwhelming. Everything was happening so fast, I was playing using my instincts. I don’t know how, but I’m glad I managed to win.”

Backed by a partisan 5,270-strong home crowd who chanted his name and willed the challenges in his favour, Loh displayed his crowd-pleasing repertoire of killer smashes and lightning-quick reflexes, but also committed some frustrating unforced errors as he initially trailed in each of the three games.

The 28-year-old was down 7-11 in the opener, but won 13 of the next 16 points to set up six game points, requiring four to take the lead. However, Prannoy managed to keep the pressure on after leading 11-6 in the second game to level the match.

In a dramatic decider, Loh turned a 4-8 deficit into a slender 11-10 lead as Prannoy, who had used up his two challenges before the interval, was chided by the umpire for celebrating excessively and intimidating the service judge.

Somehow, the 33-year-old Indian fought back to lead 14-11 before his game imploded with unforced errors as Loh claimed 10 out of the last 11 points to win the match.

Throughout his two matches at his home tournament, there appears to be an increased maturity in his game as he stayed patient in rallies, opting to take extra shots to construct a better attacking opportunity rather than smashing indiscriminately.

Victories over the 37th-ranked Srikanth Kidambi and Prannoy also take his record in three-game matches to nine wins and two losses in 2026.

Loh said: “I need to go back to analyse my performance, but if it looks better, it’s a good thing. I’m just trying to focus on each point and do well throughout the process.

“It’s tough playing anyone in the top 50 in the men’s singles. In a packed season, we are all tired in our own way and we are trying our best.

“In between points, I can hear the cheers and it boosts the atmosphere and momentum while making it tough for the opponents. With the home crowd behind me, I want to push all the way and show that I want to fight till the end.”

Interestingly, with his two latest wins, he has now beaten the two Indian players he overcame in the 2021 world championships quarter-finals and final. But he needs to remain consistent to go all the way on home court.

Loh has had a patchy season so far. He made a solid start to 2026, reaching two semi-finals and defeating Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Lakshya Sen and Kenta Nishimoto – all of whom he has a losing record against – while also winning eight out of 11 matches.

But he lost four of his next seven matches, slipped out of the world’s top 10 and was nursing a foot injury before his resurgence at the Singapore Open.

Loh’s best performance at his home tournament remains a semi-final finish in 2022, but his path has seemingly opened up in 2026, as Prannoy eliminated Indonesia’s world No. 5 Jonatan Christie – who has a 9-0 head-to-head record against the Singaporean – in the first round.

Third seed and world No. 3 Anders Antonsen is the only seeded player left in the men’s singles.

In the same half of the draw, Thailand’s defending champion and world No. 2 Kunlavut, who leads Loh 8-2, withdrew on May 28 with a back complaint while trailing 2-0 to India’s 10th-ranked Sen in the opening game of their last-16 encounter, before Chi beat fourth-ranked Christo Popov of France.

Kunlavut, who said he suffered the injury in his first-round win over Belgian Julien Carraggi on May 27, added: “When I got up this morning, I felt the pain a bit. I couldn’t bend or twist. I tried, but in the end I think it is better to rest.”

Meanwhile, in the top half of the draw, Taiwanese world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen and China’s seventh-ranked Li Shifeng were already knocked out in the first round.

Indonesia’s SEA Games champion and 13th-ranked Alwi Farhan then stunned China’s world No. 1 and 2024 Singapore Open winner Shi Yuqi 21-16, 19-21, 21-14 in the second round.

Alwi, who was world junior champion in 2023, said the big win was a timely boost after Indonesia’s shock group-stage exit at the Thomas Cup in April.

The 21-year-old said: “I’ve been through a dark tunnel because the Thomas Cup exit was so painful for me and the Indonesia men’s team. I felt so disappointed and scared for days after that, but today I proved myself and I want to keep steady for the next match.”

In the women’s singles, seven out of the top eight seeds progressed to the quarter-finals, with only Indonesia’s fifth seed and world No. 6 Putri Wardani knocked out in the first round.