Lin Tianbao Fresh off his triumph at the Madrid Spain Masters, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew was gunning for a breakthrough at the Badminton Asia Championships after losing the 2023 final.
But the world No. 10 crashed out in the first round of the men's singles on April 10, losing 18-21, 21-18, 21-17 to Japan's 12th-ranked Kenta Nishimoto at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre.
The defeat came 10 days after the 26-year-old defeated Frenchman Toma Junior Popov in Madrid to end his 833-day title drought. This is Loh's third first-round exit in what has been an inconsistent 2024 season, where he also reached two quarter-finals and one other final at the Thailand Masters.
He told The Straits Times: "I feel that I've done better than before, but there's still room for improvement." Heading into the match, Nishimoto had a superior 3-0 head-tohead record, including a win in straight games at the Asia Team Championships in February.
Denne historien er fra April 11, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra April 11, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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