SINGAPORE: Loh Kean Yew’s wait to beat Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn stretches on after the Singaporean fell 21-10, 21-12 in 43 minutes to the top seed and hometown favourite at the Thailand Open on Saturday (May 17).
In their men’s singles semi-final at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, world number 2 Kunlavut went into the interval ahead 11-8, despite the Singaporean keeping himself in striking distance early on.
And with Loh making a number of unforced errors, Kunlavut extended his lead to as many as eleven points to see the first game out.
The Singaporean, who was playing in his ninth match in 11 days, struggled to make any breakthrough in the second game as Kunlavut booked his place in the final.
Still, it was Loh’s best finish at the Super 500 tournament in four appearances.
Currently ranked 11th in the world, Loh was aiming to break a losing streak against reigning world champion Kunlavut, who held a 7-1 head-to-head record over him coming into Saturday.
The Thai last beat Loh at the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships semi-finals a month ago. Loh finished with bronze.
According to Badminton World Federation records, the 27-year-old’s last victory over Kunlavut came at the 2015 Thailand International Challenge.
