National badminton player Loh Kean Yew ended his All England Open campaign with a loss in the first round.
On Tuesday (14 Mar), the world’s eighth-ranked Loh lost in the All England Open to China’s Zhao Junpeng 21–16, 16–21, 21–7.
He exits the All England Open in the same round as last year, when he lost to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen.
The 2021 world champion was down from the first game after losing 16-21.
However, he rallied back in the second game after being down 6-10 to keep the match going, winning 21-16.
Sadly, there was no comeback for Loh as Zhao raced to a 6-0 lead in game three, ultimately finishing the match 21-7 with a 2-1 score.
Zhao is ranked 16th in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Rankings.
Just four days earlier, Loh ended his German Open campaign without making it to the quarterfinals after he lost to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, ranked 15th.
After battling to reach the round of 16, he was unable to continue his run and lost 17-21, 21-13, 21-19.
It was a close-run series, however. One particular rally had Nishimoto slumped on the floor in the end, proving Loh never made it easy for his opponent.
Source: German Open on YouTube
Regardless of his defeats, Loh said in a media release on Thursday (9 Mar) that he is aiming to qualify for the Olympic Games next year in Paris by gaining as many qualification points as possible.
He also has his sights set on the Singapore Badminton Open, to be held in June.
“Representing Singapore in the Olympics will always be a great honour, and I’m focused on working towards that goal,” he said.
So for Loh, today’s loss is definitely just another step towards his ultimate goal. Singaporeans will undoubtedly still be rooting for him as he continues the 2023 circuit.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Badminton Association via SG Sports TV on Facebook.
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