Singaporean shuttler Loh Kean Yew has etched his name in the history books, becoming the first Singaporean ever to win the men’s singles title at the US$240,000 (S$311,650) Taipei Open on May 11. In a thrilling final, he overcame home favorite and world No. 7 Chou Tien-chen 21-14, 15-21, 22-20, securing his 10th career title and a momentous victory for Singaporean badminton.
This triumph is particularly significant as it marks a historic first for Singapore at the Taipei Open. It is also the 27-year-old’s first title since becoming a father in July 2024. His remarkable achievement in the Super 300 tournament earned him US$18,000 in prize money.
Throughout the tournament, Loh displayed exceptional mental fortitude, battling back from deficits to defeat Hong Kong’s Chan Yin Chak (105th), Finland’s Joakim Oldorff (52nd), Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (49th), and Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-wei (26th) in the preceding rounds.
He carried this unwavering spirit into the final against the 35-year-old Chou, who has shown incredible resilience in his own right, climbing back into the top 10 after recovering from stage zero colorectal cancer diagnosed in 2023.
Loh, whose last title was at the 2024 Spain Masters, started the first game confidently, establishing a 3-0 lead as Chou struggled with his court awareness. However, the momentum shifted, and Loh found himself trailing 8-10. Demonstrating his rediscovered “killer instinct,” Loh fought back tenaciously, highlighted by a grueling 52-shot rally he won with a decisive body shot after two impressive diving backhand saves. He then surged ahead, winning 13 of the next 17 points, including the final six, to claim the opening game.
Undeterred, Chou, aiming for his fifth Taipei Open title, retaliated in the second game, employing delicate net drops to put Loh on the backfoot and level the match with a 21-15 win.
The deciding game was a tense and captivating battle. Despite squandering four match points from a seemingly comfortable 20-16 lead, the 2021 world champion held his nerve and finally sealed his first title of the year with a successful challenge on a precise drop shot, solidifying his historic victory.
Since embracing fatherhood, Loh has been on a steady path back to his peak performance. Following a quarter-final appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August, he faced a series of early exits before reaching the 2025 German Open final and the All England Open quarter-finals. He also secured a joint-third place finish at the Badminton Asia Championships in April.
A recent training camp in China’s Jiangxi, where he had the opportunity to train with retired Chinese player and 2022 world championships bronze medallist Zhao Junpeng, appears to have played a crucial role in his resurgence.
National singles head coach Kim Ji-hyun underscored the value of such overseas training, explaining, “In Singapore, with a limited pool of players in the national team, it is difficult to maintain a high intensity of training for our top-tier players that includes quality match play which simulates actual competition conditions.”
“The overseas training camps allow our players to learn different playing styles, and also to adapt and respond effectively to these styles in competition,” she added. “Even though the intensity and the volume of training has been high, our players are doing great. I hope they will perform well in the tournaments ahead.”
Loh’s historic triumph at the Taipei Open will undoubtedly serve as a significant boost as he and his fellow top Singaporean players now turn their attention to a series of upcoming tournaments, including the Thailand Open (Super 500), Malaysia Masters (Super 500), Singapore Open (Super 750), and Indonesia Open (Super 1000).