Loh Kean Yew eases into Asia Championships quarter-final
Loh Kean Yew breezed into the last eight of the Badminton Asia Championships men's singles after a straight-sets victory in the round of 16 match on Thursday (April 28).
Loh who is world No. 10, wrapped up the 21-16, 21-6 win in 30 minutes at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Manila as he saw off Japanese Koki Watanabe, who is ranked 46th in the world.
Loh, who won the world title in Huelva, Spain last December, is now just three victories away from becoming an Asian champion. He will face Indonesian Jonatan Christie in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The Indonesian, who is two places above Loh in the world rankings and had beaten the Singaporean at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, beat Malaysian shuttler Daren Liew 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 to progress to the last eight.
The tournament has already seen a huge upset as defending champion and world No. 2 Kento Momota suffered a shock first-round defeat on Wednesday after a loss to Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, ranked 52nd in the world.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is the highest ranked player left in the men's singles competition. The Indonesian is ranked fifth.
The annual badminton tournament is part of the BWF 1000 series and returns after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19. This year marks the 39th edition of the tournament.
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