Loh Kean Yew upset by Thai upstart Panitchaphon at Indonesia Masters
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Thailand's 44th-ranked Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (right) stuns Singapore's world No. 10 Loh Kean Yew in their Indonesia Masters men's singles semi-finals on Jan 24.
PHOTO: BWF/BADMINTON PHOTO
Follow topic:
- Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul defeated Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the Indonesia Masters men's singles semi-final to reach his first Super 500 final, where he will face Indonesia's Alwi Farhan.
- Loh Kean Yew acknowledged Panitchaphon's capabilities, while coaching assistant Vega Nirwanda wants him to maintain focus under pressure.
- Another Thai Pitchamon Opatniputh also reached the women's singles final, highlighting the rise of a new wave of Thai players; she will compete against China's Chen Yufei for the title.
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SINGAPORE – Covering his eyes with his right hand and mimicking a pistol with his left, Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul celebrated arguably the biggest victory of his fledgling badminton career on Jan 24, after gunning down world No. 10 Loh Kean Yew in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters.
That masterful left hand was what the bandana-sporting 21-year-old used to subdue Singapore’s former world champion 21-17, 21-17 to earn his first Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 500 final spot on Jan 25. He will play home favourite and world No. 18 Alwi Farhan, who beat 27th-ranked Chi Yu-jen 21-11, 21-12 in the other semi-final of the US$500,000 (S$640,000) tournament.
For Loh, it was his second straight semi-final exit, following last week’s India Open last-four finish
The 28-year-old, who injured his back during the quarter-finals of the last event, shared that he will skip the Jan 27-Feb 1 Thailand Masters for a short break before returning to action at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Qingdao, China, from Feb 3 to 8.
He said: “My opponent played very well today, but overall I’m happy that I managed to overcome myself physically and mentally to reach back-to-back semi-finals.”
Coaching assistant Vega Nirwanda added: “Kean Yew played well but his opponent played even better. This is why Panitchaphon has been able to beat many top players. We congratulate him, while Kean Yew needs to learn to maintain focus and stay calm in his matches under various conditions.”
While the 44th-ranked Panitchaphon had lost both of his previous encounters against Loh in straight games, the 2022 world junior championships bronze medallist served notice of his prowess and potential at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
Promoted from the qualifiers after several withdrawals, he made full use of the opportunity to beat 19th-ranked Taiwanese Lee Chia-hao, Malaysia’s Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, India’s world No. 12 and 2021 world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, and Loh.
In the semi-final, the southpaw showed nerves but not fear as he started the match with a thunderous forehand.
In an evenly contested first half of the opening game, the duo traded ferocious smashes before Panitchaphon pulled away with a variety of aggressive shots and deft drops, scoring the win 21-17.
While Panitchaphon’s inexperience showed at times with several unforced errors in the second game, his shot quality was enough to keep Loh at bay. Lady luck also shone on the Thai player, who gained several points while leading 11-5 when the shuttlecock clipped the tape and landed in his favour.
After enjoying better fortune in his quarter-final win over sixth-ranked Taiwanese Chou Tien-chen
“He was really lucky with a lot of net rolls today so I just tried to kiss the net to see if the luck could go my way instead,” Loh said.
He produced a last burst of fire to catch up to 16-19 and save one match point before Panitchaphon got over the line to register only his second top-10 scalp after his win over then ninth-ranked Chou in the 2025 Kumamoto Masters.
The underdog, whose twin brother Pakkapon is a doubles player – both have featured in Thai drama Brothers and movie Immortal Species – now has the chance for a superstar moment on court.
In an earlier interview with BWF, he said: “I want my fans to know a new generation is coming to replace the seniors.”
The new wave of Thai players also made a strong impression in the women’s singles semi-finals, as world No. 36 Pitchamon Opatniputh beat Malaysia’s 42nd-ranked Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-15, 21-17.
The 19-year-old will face China’s world No. 4 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics champion Chen Yufei – who beat Japan’s 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara 21-15, 24-22 – in the final on Jan 25.
