Singapore’s top shuttlers qualify for their first BWF Super 500 Finals at the HYLO Open 2021, as Loh Kean Yew claims his seventh international title and Yeo Jia Min finishes a strong second
Image via TotalEnergies X Badminton
8 November 2021, Saarbrücken, Germany - Team Singapore shuttlers Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jiamin have put in starring performances at Germany's HYLO Open 2021 badminton competition, with the republic’s top male shuttler Loh winning the Men’s Singles title and fellow Olympian Yeo bagging the silver in the Women’s Singles event.
This is the first time both athletes have qualified for a Super 500 final, which is the fourth-highest level on badminton’s world tour.
Despite missing out on the champion's trophy, Yeo claimed 7,800 ranking points which should see her break into the world's top 20 for the first time.
Image via Badminton Photo
Men’s Singles
In the Men’s Singles final, Loh was met with Malaysia's world No. 8 Lee Zii Jia. Lee started off strong, taking home the first set 21-19. Regardless, Loh remain unfazed and came back even stronger claiming the following two sets 21-13 and 17-12 (retired), clinching the Men’s Singles championship title.
To earn his spot in the final, Loh fired through his matches in the qualifying rounds, overcoming higher ranked opponents - Taiwanese world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen, France's world No. 35 Toma Junior Popov, Denmark's world No. 13 Rasmus Gemke.
In the semi-final, he was faced against yet another higher ranked opponent, World no. 21 Lakshya Sen from India. This was the duo’s third face-off in the past month with the previous two being the final of the YONEX Dutch Open and a qualifying match at the French Open. This encounter saw Loh taking home the win in straight sets 21-18, 21-12, booking his ticket to the final.
Women’s Singles
In the Women’s Singles event, 26th ranked Yeo Jia Min finished second after losing out to Thailand’s 14th-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-10, 21-14 in the final of the HYLO Open 2021.
Image via TotalEnergies X Badminton
Yeo's sterling performances en route to the final included defeating Belgian's Lianne Tan 14-21, 21-9, 21-18 in the quarter-finals, and higher ranked opposition in the form of Canadian World no. 11 Michelle Li 21-12, 23-25, 21-12 to land her hard earned spot in the final.
With this achievement, Yeo has won herself a cheque for SGD $16,400 and 7,800 ranking points that should earn her first ever qualification into the top 20 players in the world.
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