Loh Kean Yew’s Gritty March to the Singapore Open 2026 Final
The Singapore Indoor Stadium has witnessed many great sporting moments, but the roar that echoed through its walls on the evening of May 30, 2026, was something special. On that Saturday night, hometown hero Loh Kean Yew cemented his status as a national sporting icon by powering through to the final of the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2026.
As the world No. 14, Loh entered the tournament carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations. The Super 750 event, boasting a prize pool of $1 million, is the crown jewel of Singapore’s badminton calendar, and Loh delivered a performance that blended relentless determination with breathtaking skill . His path to the final was not a sprint but a marathon—a series of grueling, three-game battles that tested his physical limits and mental fortitude.
This article chronicles his heroic run, from the opening round to the semifinal cliffhanger, as he prepares to face France’s rising star, Alex Lanier, for the title.
A Rocky Start and Revenge in Round One
The tournament began on a tense note for the 28-year-old former World Champion. Drawn against India’s former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, Loh knew he was in for a fight. Having lost to Srikanth just two weeks prior at the Thailand Open, the match was as much a mental hurdle as it was a physical one.
In front of a raucous public holiday crowd of 6,840 fans on May 27, Loh engaged in an ebb-and-flow chess match. The first game went to a thrilling tie-break, with Loh edging it 22-20. Srikanth, a veteran known for his resilience, struck back to take the second 21-19. However, the Singaporean seized control in the decider. As Srikanth began to run out of steam, Loh pushed the pace, closing out the match 21-17 to secure a hard-fought revenge victory.
Surviving the Prannoy Scare
If the first round was a test of strategy, the Round of 16 on May 28 was a test of survival. Loh faced another Indian shuttler, the aggressive HS Prannoy. Prannoy was brimming with confidence after stunning world No. 5 Jonatan Christie in the previous round, and he pushed Loh to the absolute brink.
The match swung like a pendulum. Loh took the first game 21-18, only for Prannoy to storm back and win the second 21-16. The decider looked bleak for the home favorite. Trailing 11-14, his attacks were misfiring, and the finish line seemed distant. But then, the “Singapore Spirit” took over.
Fueled by the deafening chants of the 5,270-strong crowd, Loh flicked a switch. He transformed his defense into offense, ripping through eight consecutive points to turn the deficit into a 19-14 lead. Prannoy crumbled under the pressure, losing six points in a row, as Loh closed it out 21-15. After the match, an exhausted Loh admitted, “No matter what, we are all tired… I just push myself to the fullest. Especially with the crowd behind me, I want to push all the way and show that I don’t want to give up”.
Quarter-Final Dominance: The Chi Yu-jen Masterclass
Having played three games in two days, the quarter-finals on May 29 presented a familiar challenge: Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei. The world No. 18 had beaten Loh in two of their previous encounters and took the first game 21-16, suggesting another long night was in store for the Singaporean.
But rather than wilt, Loh evolved. In a stunning display of tactical adjustment, he decided to “smash beyond limits.” He abandoned the tentative play of the opener and unleashed a barrage of pace and power that Chi simply could not handle. The second game was a clinic in aggression—Loh lost only six points, winning 21-6.
The momentum was unstoppable. In the third game, he conceded just eight points, sealing the match 21-8. Over the final two games, he allowed his opponent only 14 points. “I’m happy to win in a Super 750 quarter-final,” Loh said, “and it makes it even more meaningful to win in Singapore”.
Semi-Final Showdown: The Final Push
This set up a semi-final clash against Japan’s Koki Watanabe on May 30. Watanabe, the world No. 19, had already taken a game off Loh in their Round of 16 encounter earlier in the week, but this time the stakes were higher.
The match was a cauldron of tension. Loh drew first blood with a measured 21-15 win, but Watanabe, showing tremendous fighting spirit, adjusted his pace and forced a decider with a 21-15 victory of his own. With the entire stadium on its feet, Loh refused to let the opportunity slip. He raced to a massive lead in the third game, his smashes finding the lines with precision. He closed out the rubber game 21-9, collapsing to his knees in celebration as the crowd erupted. The 63-minute battle secured his spot in the final.
The Final Hurdle
As Loh Kean Yew prepares for the final on Sunday, he faces a new challenge in the form of Frenchman Alex Lanier. Lanier represents the new guard of European badminton, and he enters the final with momentum, having dismantled Indonesian hope Alwi Farhan in the semi-finals with scores of 21-14, 21-11.
For Loh, the 2026 Singapore Open is already a success, matching his best-ever finish at the event (last achieved in 2022). However, with the eyes of the nation upon him and the trophy in sight, the “Lion City’s” lion-hearted shuttler is determined to finish the story.
Loh Kean Yew’s Road to the Final – Singapore Open 2026
| Round | Opponent (Nationality) | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | Kidambi Srikanth (India) | 22-20, 19-21, 21-17 |
| Round of 16 | H.S. Prannoy (India) | 21-18, 16-21, 21-15 |
| Quarter-Final | Chi Yu-jen (Chinese Taipei) | 16-21, 21-6, 21-8 |
| Semi-Final | Koki Watanabe (Japan) | 21-15, 15-21, 21-9 |
| Final | Alex Lanier (France) | Match Scheduled for May 31 |