World No. 35 Christo Popov dumps Loh Kean Yew out of Singapore Badminton Open
In recent years, Frenchman Christo Popov has revelled in knocking out higher-ranked players.
At the 2021 Indonesia Open, then ranked world No. 70 at 19 years old, he achieved the biggest upset of his career with a shock first-round victory over home favourite and Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting.
Three months ago, he sent India’s Lakshya Sen packing in the German Open’s first round. At the Singapore Badminton Open on Thursday, Popov, now world No. 35, added another big name and home hope to his list of scalps – the Republic’s 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew.
Displaying resilience and composure, Popov silenced the 4,800-strong Indoor Stadium crowd with a 21-10, 23-21 win over the world No. 5 in the second round.
“I have waited so long to get these type of results. Making a 750 quarter-finals is my biggest result yet and I’m just very happy,” said Popov, referring to the competition’s status as a Super 750 event, the third tier on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.
“This is my first game against Loh Kean Yew and I didn’t really know what to expect, but maybe I adapted better than him today.”
The 21-year-old will meet world No. 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the last eight.
From the get go, an error-stricken Loh was a shadow of his usual self. Uncharacteristically spraying loose shots into the net, he allowed the more aggressive Popov to reel in six points in a row.
While the home fans cheered every point Loh won, with brief shouts of “ee-ya!” piercing through the arena as his lethal smashes ripped through the air, there was deafening silence each time Popov picked up the points.
Loh said: “This whole match there is a lot of disappointment and unhappiness. I need to go back to think, analyse and discuss (with my coaches).
“I tried my best to make a comeback (in the second set) to be more focused and aggressive but it wasn’t enough.”
Loh’s early 5-1 lead in the second set was quickly erased when errors crept back into his game. But from 17-19 down, he drew level with a trademark smash and a hard-fought defensive point that left him sprawled out on the court.
The home fans started chanting Loh’s name again, but the Bulgaria-born Popov remained unfazed, nonchalantly firing a drop shot to get to match point, which was duly saved by Loh. But facing a second match point, the latter’s return went wide.
On the pressure of playing at home, Singapore Badminton Association technical director Martin Andrew said Loh “is very good at blocking it all out on court”, adding: “But... the level of expectation is what stressed him out a little bit.”
Loh, who will next play at the June 13-18 Indonesia Open, added: “There was always going to be some pressure but motivation as well. And I guess today, I didn’t manage it well. There’s a lot to work on, but hopefully, things will get better.”
With Yeo Jia Min losing 21-12, 21-11 to South Korea’s world No. 2 An Se-young in an earlier second-round match in the women’s singles, this meant Singapore’s athletes have all exited the US$850,000 (S$1.15m) tournament.
Yeo said: “She played a fast game so she didn’t give me time to find directions and angles. I think there is improvement in certain areas of my game but I will have to be better against top-10 players.”
Also in the women’s draw, Thailand’s Supanida Katethong upset No. 6 seed and Olympic champion Carolina Marin 17-21, 21-19, 21-17, while Japan’s Aya Ohori shocked seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon 21-16, 21-10.
There was one more surprise in the men’s draw as Anders Antonsen battled past fifth seed Chou Tien Chen by a score of 21-12, 21-15.
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