Loh Kean Yew is 1st S’porean to advance to Badminton Asia Championships finals

Singaporean badminton player Loh Kean Yew, 25, has once again outdone himself.

He advanced to the final round of the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships held at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall in Dubai, UAE.

On Apr. 29, the 2021 badminton world champion beat China’s Lu Guang Zu by 21-19 and 21-15 within 47 minutes, securing himself a spot in the finals.

This made him the first Singaporean to do so, Straits Times (ST) reported.

Tough opponent in finals

Loh will be up against Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the finals today (Apr. 30).

The 25-year-old Indonesian shuttler is ranked number two in the world and earlier defeated Japan’s Tsuneyama Kanta in the semifinals.

Loh had lost to Ginting in their previous three encounters, such as during the Singapore Open in July 2022 and HSBC’s Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals in December 2022.

If he wins, he will be the eighth player to hold the titles of Asian champion and world champion, according to ST.

He will also be the first Singaporean to win the tournament.

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Top image via Loh Kean Yew’s Twitter/Badminton Photo