Loh to miss Swiss Open after catching virus

Badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew has pulled out of this week's Swiss Open after contracting Covid-19 last Friday.

A Singapore Badminton Association spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday that the 24-year-old tested positive while at last week's All England Open in Birmingham.

He added: "Therefore, he is not well enough to compete in Switzerland and cannot fly until he tests negative.

"His symptoms have been mild and he is able to go on as normal in England, so essentially it is a waiting game before he can leave and return to Singapore."

Loh will train here before heading to the April 5-10 Korea Open and April 12-17 Korea Masters.

Several players have pulled out of the Swiss Open in Basel, which ends on Sunday.

Among them is Indian Lakshya Sen, who lost to Viktor Axelsen in the All England men's final.

Sen's run to the final moved him up two spots to No. 9 in the world rankings and pushed Loh to No. 10.

The Swiss Open would have been Loh's first outing as a seeded player in a Badminton World Federation World Tour tournament.

After his historic world championship victory last December, he has had a mixed start to 2022. He reached the India Open final in January - losing to Sen - and helped Singapore clinch a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships a month later.

But he has lost in the first round of his last two events, the German Open and All England Open, earlier this month, to Brian Yang and Anders Antonsen respectively.

The withdrawals at the Swiss Open have benefited Singaporean men's doubles pair Loh Kean Hean and Terry Hee.

The world No. 88 duo were moved into the main draw and will face Scotland's 36th-ranked Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall in the first round.

In the mixed doubles, Hee will combine with Tan Wei Han as a 102nd-ranked duo to take on a qualifier in the first round.