Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew finally beats Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn with q-final win at India Open

SINGAPORE – With a comeback win over his good friend and nemesis Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew not only ended an eight-match losing run against the Thai, but also reached his first Super 750 semi-final since 2023.

The Republic’s world No. 10 beat the second-ranked Thai 14-21, 21-15, 21-17 in the India Open quarter-finals on Jan 16 to narrow his head-to-head record against Kunlavut to 2-8.

His reward is a semi-final berth in the US$950,000 (S$1.2 million) tournament against another player who has his number – Indonesia’s world No. 4 Jonatan Christie, who has won all eight of their previous encounters.

That included the 2023 French Open semi-finals, which was Loh’s last appearance in the last four of a Super 750 event on the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) World Tour.

Super 750 events are ranked below the World Tour Finals and Super 1000 tournaments, but above the Super 500 and Super 300 competitions in terms of ranking points and prize money.

Speaking to The Straits Times after ending the hoodoo, Loh felt Kunlavut could have been weary after winning the Malaysia Open the previous week, while the Singaporean was knocked out in the first round.

He added: “I’m glad I managed to win this time. Kunlavut must be very tired from last week and this week’s matches, yet once again he showed how high his level is, so kudos to him.

“I’m going to just prepare myself to the fullest and focus on each point for tomorrow’s game.”

Loh ended his unwanted streak the hard way. He lost the first game, required medical attention in the second game for his back and endured a see-saw decider filled with long rallies.

At the end of the 70-minute battle, Loh sank to his knees in relief and exhaustion to rousing applause from fans at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

In a tactical match between two players who were remarkably quick in attack and defence, and unleashed a wide array of deceptive and disguised shots, Kunlavut settled fastest and raced away from 8-8 to claim the first game.

Against the odds, Loh rose to the occasion to level the tie against an opponent who produced superb shot variety and quality.

While he did not trail in the second game after losing the opening point, he had a few scares as he let slip an 11-7 advantage and needed medical attention for a back ailment at 11-10.

But he did not seem too badly affected as he unleashed a 410kmh shot, making it 15-12, before going on to level the tie after several unforced errors by Kunlavut.

Singapore Badminton Association coaching assistant Vega Nirwanda, who was in Loh’s corner as singles coach Kim Ji-hyun was focusing on the national championships back home, had urged him to bide his time before going for the kill.

He said: “Kean Yew executed the game plan very well. We saw a good chance to win going into the third game, and I just kept him motivated throughout.

“I reminded him what Kunlavut’s habits are, and urged him to be patient in the rallies and control the front court.”

Loh, who was runner-up at the 2022 India Open, kept up the momentum to lead 11-9 in the third game, but 2023 champion Kunlavut looked set to extend his winning streak by taking five out of the next six points to surge 14-12 ahead.

This time, the Singaporean had a response, staying patient in the long exchanges to look for openings.

Winning a 79-shot rally to make it 19-16 broke his rival, who uncharacteristically dumped two more shots into the net, as Loh booked his semi-final date with Christie.

The Indonesian had secured a 21-19, 21-19 win over France’s world No. 7 Christo Popov.

The other semi-final pits Canada’s world No. 19 Victor Lai against Chinese Taipei’s 12th-ranked Lin Chun-yi, who overcame India’s 14th-ranked Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-13, 21-18. Lai beat Chinese Taipei’s world No. 31 Chi Yu-jen 21-18, 17-21, 21-15.