Sports

Loh Kean Yew Exits S’pore Open At Semi-Finals, He’ll Try Harder Next Year

Loh Kean Yew Loses Singapore Open Semi-Finals In 2 Sets, Doesn’t Reach Finals

Whenever Loh Kean Yew competes, Singaporeans sit up and pay attention, even if it’s at the semi-finals.

That was especially true during the ongoing Singapore Open, as he was playing on home ground.

While there were hopes that he’d win the whole competition, Loh has unfortunately exited at the semi-finals.

Source: Loh Kean Yew on Facebook via Badminton Photo

Undeterred, he said he will try harder next year.

Loh Kean Yew initially took lead in semi-finals

Loh, who’s currently world No. 9, faced off against Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the men’s singles semi-final on Saturday (16 Jul).

The venue was the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where a crowd of about 6,000 geared up to watch the battle, reported The Straits Times (ST).

Loh delighted home fans by taking the lead in the first game, going into the interval 11-7 up.

Source: Badmincomps – 3 on YouTube

However, Ginting, ranked world No. 6, turned it around to beat him 21-17.

In the second game, Loh again led 9-8 only for Ginting to stage another comeback and lead 11-10 at the break.

The Indonesian went on to record a win in two straight sets of 21-17 and 21-14.

 

Source: Badmincomps – 3 on YouTube

This was Ginting’s first career win over Loh, having failed to beat him two previous times.

Singaporeans hoped for history

The night before on Friday (15 Jul), Loh, the world champion, beat China’s Li Shifeng to make the semi-finals.

Source: Badminton Asia on Facebook via Badminton Photo

This prompted Singaporeans to hope that our hometown boy would become the first Singaporean to reach the Singapore Open men’s singles final in 20 years.

The last time this happened, Singaporean Ronald Susilo lost to Chen Hong in 2002.

Some might even have dreamt that Loh would go all the way and win the competition.

The last Singaporean to win the event at the Singapore Open was Wee Choon Seng — 60 years ago in 1962.

Loh Kean Yew thanks home crowd

After the loss, Loh posted on Facebook that playing in front of the home crowd made the tournament “very special and memorable”.

Source: Loh Kean Yew on Facebook

He thanked them for coming down to support him and his teammates.

Source: Loh Kean Yew on Facebook via Badminton Photo

As for the game itself, he admitted that he was “not spared” by Ginting though he wanted to make it to the final.

He told ST that he wasn’t brave enough — being unable to try out different shots and change the tactics and game plan.

However, Loh also graciously congratulated his opponent and urged fans to support the final tomorrow.

Most importantly, he gave an assurance to Singapore fans hungry for more silverware from him:

I’ll try harder next year.

He’s made us proud anyway

Knowing Loh’s competitive nature, he’ll probably be disappointed by not going all the way on home ground.

But Singaporeans will agree that representing our nation isn’t something just anybody can do, so he’s made us proud by making it this far anyway.

His next outing will be in the Commonwealth Games this month. May the defeat push him to train harder so he can do better next time.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Loh Kean Yew on Facebook via Badminton Photo.

Jeremy Lee

Analog person making do with a digital world.

Recent Posts

Underage teen in S’pore buries stillborn in house yard, police digs up bones during investigation

The coroner said this was the first case of its kind he had encountered in…

23 Dec 2024, 7:05 pm

M’sia Airlines grounds new Airbus just days after maiden flight, cites technical issues

The brand-new jet suffered a series of technical issues since its first-ever flight on 19…

23 Dec 2024, 6:17 pm

Family in S’pore finds snake on side view mirror mid-drive, netizens quip ‘Snake Year is coming’

The Paradise Tree Snake may have misjudged its landing and ended up on the car.

23 Dec 2024, 4:48 pm

69-year-old man dies after fight with 71-year-old neighbour over bumping into each other

The 69-year-old was reportedly upset over his neighbour's refusal to apologise.

23 Dec 2024, 4:33 pm

Bloomberg issued POFMA order over S’pore GCB transactions article, Govt addresses ‘falsehoods’

False claims include that GCB transactions occur without government checks on beneficial owners' identities.

23 Dec 2024, 3:35 pm

Woman set on fire aboard New York subway train, suspect allegedly watches her burn

The suspect casually watched as the woman became consumed by flames.

23 Dec 2024, 3:14 pm