It was another dramatic day of badminton at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2025, as tournament favourites continued to tumble. Singapore’s last hope Loh Kean Yew bowed out following a dominant display by France’s Christo Popov, while women’s world No. 1 An Se Young saw her flawless 2025 season come to an end at the hands of China’s Chen Yu Fei.

World No. 10 Loh couldn’t keep pace with an inspired Popov, who stunned the home crowd with a clinical 21-10, 21-14 win in just under 40 minutes. The Frenchman played with speed and precision, capitalising on Loh’s unforced errors and maintaining aggressive court play throughout the match.

Popov said: “I think today I was well prepared, and my focus was on. I think my game was very solid today, and I was very aggressive. I think Loh put on a big fight as well. I think it was a big battle. Every point was very difficult for both of us. It seemed like I was being more patient and more precise with my shots.”

Loh reflected: “I think I have tried my best – although it may not look like it – but I actually tried everything that I could possibly try to do. But he played a very good game, so it was hard to play against him.”

Popov will now face Lu Guang Zu, who extended his giant-killing run with a gritty 19-21, 21-17, 21-12 win over world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka. The pair last met at the 2022 BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, where Lu edged Popov in three tight games.

Thailand’s world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn remains the highest seed in the men’s singles draw after dispatching Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao 21-13, 21-11 in 47 minutes. He’ll take on Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi, who cruised past Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-15, 21-13. Vitidsarn holds a slight 3-2 lead in their head-to-head, though Lin won their most recent clash at this year’s Swiss Open.

Defending champion and world No. 1 An Se Young saw her remarkable winning run in 2025 come to an end after falling to China’s world No. 5 Chen Yu Fei, who delivered a composed 21-13, 21-16 win.

Chen said: “I don’t think I can say that I’m back to my peak just because of this one match. I still have to play one match at a time. Because maybe her physical performance today may not be as good as before but competitions are like this. I am fully prepared, and I just have to do my best.”

Chen now sets up an all-Chinese semifinal against world No. 4 Han Yue, after Han came through her match against Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira 21-17, 21-15. Chen leads the head-to-head 9-0, including a three-game victory in the final of this year’s Badminton Asia Championships.

The other semifinal pits Japan’s world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi against China’s world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi. Yamaguchi beat Canada’s Michelle Li 21-15, 22-20, while Wang came through a strong challenge from Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong. Yamaguchi leads their head-to-head 6-3.

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their stellar run, defeating world No. 1 Malaysian pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21-17, 21-15 in under 40 minutes. The Indian duo have now reached their best-ever finish at the Singapore Open and will next face Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who won an all-Malaysian clash against Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun 22-20, 21-17. The two pairs have met 12 times, with Chia and Soh leading 9-3.

Top-seeded Danes Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen edged past Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in a thrilling contest, 21-13, 21-23, 24-22. Their semifinal opponents will be South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, who earned a 22-20, 24-22 win over China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. It will be the first meeting between the Danish and Korean duos.

Top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning continued their dominance with a 21-12, 21-17 win over fellow Chinese pair Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min. They will face Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, who stunned South Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee. The Japanese duo hold a 2-1 edge in the rivalry, having last won at the 2023 Denmark Open.

South Korea’s world No. 8 pair Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong were in commanding form, brushing aside Australia’s Gronya Somerville and Angela Yu 21-9, 21-11. They now face China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, who were pushed to three games by Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, eventually prevailing 14-21, 24-22, 21-14. The Koreans have beaten Jia and Zhang in their last two meetings this year at the Orleans Masters and the Indonesia Masters.

Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran overcame top seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie in a nail-biting encounter, winning 19-21, 22-20, 21-17 after more than an hour on court. They will now face Chinese Taipei’s Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan, who came through a tight three-game match against Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara (23-21, 22-20, 21-15). The two pairs have met once before at this year’s Malaysia Open, where the Thais won 21-12, 21-14.

Hong Kong duo Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet secured a comeback victory over Denmark’s Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund, 15-21, 21-14, 21-14. They’ll face China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui, who beat Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah and Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu in straight games. Guo and Chen lead the head-to-head 2-0 against the Hong Kong pair.

Held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 27 May to 1 June, the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2025 is a key stop on the BWF World Tour Super 750 series, offering a prize pool of US$1 million. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, with daily passes ranging from $40 to $330 and season passes from $100 to $450.

Photo Credit: BADMINTONPHOTO

The KFF Badminton Open runs from 27th May to 1st June 2025. Tickets and more info available here