Loh Kean Yew out of KFF Singapore Open after q-final defeat by Christo Popov

SINGAPORE – Without mincing his words, Loh Kean Yew described his performance in his quarter-final loss to Christo Popov as “like s**t”.

The world No. 10 Singaporean missed an opportunity to match his best finish at the US$1 million (S$1.29 million) KFF Singapore Open, after losing 21-10, 21-14 to the 23rd-ranked Frenchman at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 30.

Loh, who reached the semi-finals in 2022 and quarter-finals in 2024, said: “I just played very badly and I’m mentally drained also. Yesterday was a miracle, but miracles don’t happen every day.

“I tried my best. Although it didn’t look like it, I actually tried everything that I possibly could. But he played a very good game, and it was very hard to play against him.

“My confidence went down, and his went up, and it got harder and harder to play.”

The 23-year-old Frenchman has been in fine form after eliminating Denmark’s world No. 3 Anders Antonsen and India’s 34th-ranked H.S. Prannoy in the earlier rounds.

He will face Lu Guangzu in the semi-finals on May 31, after the 15th-ranked Chinese overcame Japan’s world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka 19-21, 21-17, 21-12.

Southpaw Popov had also beaten world No. 10 Loh in the last 16 of the 2023 KFF Singapore Open, and his latest win not only took their head-to-head record to 3-3 but also avenged his older brother Toma Junior’s narrow loss in three games to the Singaporean in the previous round.

He said: “Loh is a really impressive guy, very fast and sometimes he’s playing world-class but maybe not today. It was a big battle. Every point was very difficult for both of us... I was more patient and more precise with my shots.

“He also played some points well but I survived. It was tough for him to lose those points, but that was good for me.”

Unfazed by the partisan home supporters among the 6,700 crowd, Popov was quick off the blocks, as the home favourite found it hard to cope with the draught behind him and gave up numerous attacking opportunities which the visitor did not pass up.

From 9-8, Popov reeled off nine straight points en route to a 21-10 win.

Loh tried to work his way back in the second game, and led 12-11 after taking four straight points.

But Popov demonstrated his defensive qualities and patience in the long rallies to induce unforced errors. He proved hard to kill off in the rallies, as another eight-point spell led to a big victory.

After cashing in for US$5,500, the 27-year-old Loh still had some positives to take to the June 3-8 Indonesia Open, following battling wins against world No. 9 Alex Lanier and the 16th-ranked Toma Junior this week.

Refusing to use the back-to-back three-game victories as an excuse as the Popovs also played in the men’s doubles, he added: “Those two matches were a breakthrough as I wasn’t expecting to win.

“I was stressed but I was able to perform, whereas today I couldn’t... I need to continue to work on every aspect of my game.”

Meanwhile, in the clash of two Olympic gold medallists in the women’s singles quarter-finals, defending champion and world No. 1 An Se-young saw her unbeaten start to 2025 end at 27 matches when she lost 21-13, 21-16 to China’s fifth-ranked Chen Yufei.

An’s last-16 match the previous day had ended much later than Chen’s. When asked if that had affected her, the Paris 2024 champion agreed, but did not want to make that an excuse.

The 23-year-old South Korean said: “I could not get back my condition since yesterday’s match. As a professional athlete, I have to focus on every single match. But today, I couldn’t, so that was my problem.

“I am definitely not satisfied with the loss. However, this is not the end of the season so I need to improve to fight against my opponents for the rest of the season.”

After exacting revenge for losing the 2024 KFF Singapore Open final in three games to An, Chen will take on compatriot Han Yue in the final four after the world No. 4 beat Japan’s 20th-ranked Natsuki Nidaira 21-17, 21-15.

World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi is also through after overcoming Thailand’s seventh-ranked Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-17, 21-19. She will meet Japan’s world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, who prevailed 21-15, 22-20 over 18th-ranked Canadian Michelle Li and will attempt ­to prevent an all-China final.

Tokyo 2020 champion Chen had taken a six-month break from the sport to learn English and recover physically and mentally after the Paris Olympics.

But her win was not a surprise given her 13-11 head-to-head record against An, who struggled against her opponent’s prowess at the net in the first game and fine judgment of clears to the back court in the second game.

Explaining her post-match celebration in which she put a finger to her lips, Chen said it was in response to criticism of the Chinese women’s singles players after An had beaten Chen (twice), Wang and 14th-ranked Gao Fangjie (thrice each) this year.

The 27-year-old said: “There were many doubts over our ability. But previously, I had not recovered completely, and now that I have, I feel I have the ability to compete with her.

“There is no need to belittle anyone, because I believe we are working hard together to improve and try to beat every opponent.”

Adding that she cannot say that she is back to her peak just because of this match, Chen said: “She may not have played well, or there may be issues with her condition today. But such is competitive sports, I can only stay grounded and take one match at a time, prepare fully, and do my part well.”