TOKYO - Singaporean shuttler Loh Kean Yew put up great resistance against world No. 7 Jonatan Christie, but the Indonesian, a gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, showed his pedigree to eke out a 22-20, 13-21, 21-18 win in 66 minutes at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza on Wednesday (July 28) to qualify for Olympics singles round of 16.

This means Loh's Tokyo 2020 campaign has come to an end even though he had beaten refugee athlete and world No. 172 Aram Mahmoud 21-15, 21-12 on Monday as only group winners advance to the knockout rounds.

Christie, who lost his older brother Ivan to Covid-19 earlier this year, will play China's world No. 11 Shi Yuqi on Thursday.

The 42nd-ranked Loh initially had trouble countering Christie's superior court control and awareness and trailed 15-10 in the first game, but resiliently fought back to get to game point, only to lose 22-20.

The next period began in a similar vein in the second game with Loh down 6-2. But he began to find his range, with his aggression bamboozling Christie who meekly surrendered the second game.

However, after taking an early 4-1 lead in the decider, the match gradually slipped from Loh's grasp despite saving two match points.

Loh's brother Kean Hean, also a national shuttler, caught the match live at a friend's house.

He said: "It's heartwarming to see him play at the Olympics. I'm also proud of him because he was finally able to achieve his dream of playing at the Olympics.

"He played his best and even if it may not be the result he wished for, it's okay to lose. Hopefully he'll come back stronger next time. He did his best and has done the country proud."

Earlier in the day, teammate and world No. 30 Yeo Jia Min lost 21-13, 21-14 to 18th-ranked South Korean Kim Ga-eun, who progressed from Group K into the women's singles round of 16 at the Singaporean's expense.