Badminton: Early exits for former world No. 1s, but Loh and Yeo reach last 16
Former world No. 1s Tai Tzu-ying, Ratchanok Intanon and Srikanth Kidambi made early exits after the first round of the Singapore Open on Wednesday (July 13), while the Republic's world champion Loh Kean Yew breezed into the last 16.
Top-seeded Tai withdrew from the tournament after picking up a hamstring injury in her 21-17, 21-16 win over compatriot Pai Yu-po in the morning. The world No. 2's exit comes after a hectic two months in which she won the Thailand Open and Indonesia Open and reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters.
Ratchanok, who had also played in all four tournaments as well as the Indonesian Masters, retired with a 11-9 lead after nine minutes in the first set of her match with Sung Shuo-yun of Chinese Taipei. The world No. 8 was sidelined by an ankle injury during her match on Court 2 .
Over on Court 1, India's Kidambi lost 21-17, 15-21, 21-18 to compatriot Mithun Manjaunath in an hour.
"It was a pretty close one," Kidambi, now world No. 11, said of his loss to 77th-ranked Manjaunath. "The conditions were very tricky to manage, and I think he played really well near the end. In such tricky conditions, it's just about how well you play in the last few points and that really decides the outcome."
The 29-year-old was referring to the draft inside the venue, which affects the trajectory and speed of the shuttlecock.
He was unhappy with his form - he also exited the June 14-19 Indonesian Open in the first round - but is aiming to bounce back ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in two weeks' time.
"It's just about me learning from them (losses) and moving forward," he said. "If I can win just one match, I think it would change a lot of things for me... Starting off well at the Commonwealth Games is what will be important."
Manjaunath said he was thrilled to have toppled a player he idolised.
"Beating him is a very proud moment for me. I didn't have anything to lose, so I just played freely, gave my 100 per cent and made sure I had no regrets when I left the court," said the 24-year-old, who will meet Vietnam-born Irishman Nhat Nguyen, 22, in the round of 16 on Thursday .
Meanwhile, world No.9 Loh made short work of France's Brice Leverdez, beating the 41st-ranked player 21-10, 21-11 in just 31 minutes.
The crowd inside the Indoor Stadium had swelled by the time the 25-year-old Loh took to the court. Many fans whipped out their mobile phones to snap pictures or take short videos of the star, who was competing on home soil for the first time since 2019.
"I'm happy to win and definitely very happy to see so many supporters here in the Indoor Stadium, and I'm very thankful of their support," said Loh.
He will face Tommy Sugiarto in the round of 16 on Thursday afternoon, after the Indonesian beat Singaporean Jason Teh 21-12, 21-15 in 37 minutes.
Said Loh: "Tommy is a very experienced player and so it definitely won't be easy, so I'll have to go and prepare and focus on coming up with a game plan to play him."
Among the other Singaporeans in action on Wednesday, Yeo Jia Min also enjoyed a straightforward 21-12, 21-9 win over Poland's Jordan Hart. The world No. 18 will play Thailand's world No. 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong in the last 16 on Thursday.
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