While most Singaporeans were resting on Saturday (22 Oct) from the long week they had, local shuttler Loh Kean Yew was readying himself for a challenging match against reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Fortunately for us, the 25-year-old Singaporean came out tops, beating the Danish giant in straight sets and ending the game in less than 30 minutes.
Source: BWF
Having ended the Dane’s 39-match winning streak, Loh will face Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia – Loh’s childhood friend and competitor – next in the semi-finals of the Denmark Open.
Loh’s match with Axelsen’s on Saturday (21 Oct) began with an awkward start, with both players hitting shots long of the backline.
In the end, it was the net exchanges that proved instrumental in forcing errors from the other player.
Despite starting from the disadvantageous end of the court – where shots were played in the same direction as the drift – Loh entered the mid-game interval leading 11-8, with a three-point advantage against his taller opponent.
Source: BWF TV on YouTube
The home favourite eventually closed the gap, drawing 12-12 with his Singaporean opponent.
But it was Loh who ultimately emerged victorious in the first game with a 21-17 scoreline.
Source: BWF TV on YouTube
The second game appeared to be an easier affair for Loh as the top-ranked player made several mistakes that were uncharacteristic of his usual foolproof game.
Having dominated Axelsen for the first half of the game, it was the Singaporean player who cruised to an 11-5 lead at the mid-game interval.
Source: BWF TV on YouTube
Unfortunately for Axelsen, it was more of the same in the second half of the game, with Loh maintaining a lead of six to seven points till the end, where he closed the game 21-10.
Source: BWF TV on YouTube
The game lasted just 30 minutes — a relatively short duration for a Men’s Singles game even if it was just a two-game affair.
Loh’s victory over Axelsen also ended the latter’s 39-match winning streak.
Interestingly, Axelsen had told the Danish media last week that he was nursing a leg injury and was a doubt for the home competition.
Loh currently trails Axelsen 2-4 in their head-to-head record and will face Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the semi-finals.
The match is slated to take place at 6.40pm (Singapore time) today (22 Oct).
Meanwhile, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and China’s Shi Yuqi will contest in the other semi-finals match.
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Featured image adapted from BWF and @badmintondenmark on Instagram.
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