BANGKOK (The Straits Times/ANN): Loh Kean Yew, world No. 10, lost in the SEA Games quarter-finals to Indonesia's Zaki Ubaidillah, ending his singles medal hopes. Earlier. all Singapore players were also bundled out.
SINGAPORE – Singapore’s wait for a badminton singles medal at the SEA Games will continue, after world No. 10 Loh Kean Yew was knocked out of the quarter-finals by Indonesia’s unseeded player, Zaki Ubaidillah, on Dec 12.
Loh, the top seed in the men’s singles event after home favourite Kunlavut Vitidsarn chose to only compete in the team event, had advanced to the last eight by defeating the Philippines’ Jewel Angelo Albo 21-17, 21-19 the day prior.
But at the Thamasat Rangsit Gymnasium 4 in Thailand, he struggled against world No. 48 Zaki, losing the first game 19-21 and the second 10-21 in a 46-minute match.
Loh said after the match: “Of course, I’m disappointed. But there’s nothing I can do. It’s a sport... I have to go back and practice.
“Obviously, as you can tell, he played really well. It was very hard to play against him. I mean, his qualities. For now, I need a break from tournaments. I gave my everything there in the game but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”
Noting that the Games are “very different” from other tournaments as they are “much more important”, he added: “There’s a lot more expectation and pressure. Even for myself, the desire to win is much stronger. I gave everything in the court. I tried every possible way, but there weren’t any good answers.”
The loss marks the end of Singapore’s involvement in the badminton competition at the 2025 SEA Games.
Earlier in the tournament, Loh’s compatriot and men’s singles third seed Jason Teh was beaten by Malaysian world No. 38 Justin Hoh 20-22, 15-21 on Dec 11, while both of Singaporean players in the women’s singles were knocked out on the same day.
World No. 150 Insyirah Khan lost 16-21, 15-21 to 46th-ranked Malaysian Wong Ling Ching, while world No. 192 Jaslyn Hooi was defeated by K. Letshanaa 17-21, 20-22.
On Dec 12, mixed doubles pair Terry Hee and Jin Yujia lost to Malaysian top seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 12-21, 14-21, while 52nd-ranked men’s doubles duo Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo fell to Indonesia’s world No. 19 pair Leo Carnando and Bagas Maulana.
Earlier in the Games, Singapore’s women’s and men’s teams clinched bronzes.
