Roared on by the home crowd, Loh Kean Yew staged a stirring final-game comeback to reach the quarter-finals of the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2026 presented by JK Technology, defeating India’s H. S. Prannoy 21–18, 16–21, 21–15 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

His victory came on a dramatic day in the men’s singles draw, with world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi stunned by Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan and defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn retiring due to a back injury.

Loh turns match around with eight-point run

Loh made a slow start against Prannoy, who settled early and was aggressive from the outset. The Singaporean gradually grew into the opening game, becoming more aggressive in attack and taking the shuttle earlier as he found his rhythm. A six-point scoring run helped Loh create a gap in the first game, and he stayed composed enough at the finish to take it 21–18.

The second game swung the other way. Loh’s level dipped as unforced errors crept in, while Prannoy was more clinical in the key moments. The Indian built momentum throughout the game and kept Loh under pressure, eventually winning 21–16 to force a decider.

The final game began nervously for Loh, who made several early errors and found himself chasing the score again. At 11–14 down, the match was slipping away. Then came the turning point.

Lifted by the 5,270-strong crowd, Loh strung together eight straight points, moving from 11–14 down to 19–14 up. The run transformed the match, with Loh feeding off the noise in the arena and Prannoy unable to halt the momentum. Loh closed it out shortly after, winning 21–15 to book his place in the final eight.

Reflecting on the physical and mental demands of another three-game battle, Loh said: “No matter what, we are all tired in our own way, and we just try our best. For me, I just push myself to the fullest. Especially with the crowd behind me, I want to push all the way and show that I don’t want to give up.”

Loh will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen tomorrow for a place in the semi-finals, after Chi defeated France’s Christo Popov. Chi leads their head-to-head 2–0, having won their most recent meeting in straight games at last October’s French Open.

Men’s singles draw opens up after major exits

The men’s singles draw was blown wide open on Day 3, with world No. 1 Shi falling to Indonesia’s Alwi, while defending champion Kunlavut was forced to retire due to a back injury.

Alwi produced one of the biggest results of the tournament so far, defeating Shi 21–16, 19–21, 21–14 in a 75-minute battle. The Indonesian controlled the opening game, stayed composed after narrowly losing the second, and then surged clear in the decider with a six-point scoring run to complete the win.

“I’m happy, of course, to get such an experience against the world number one, but the journey hasn’t ended. There are still more matches to come, so I need to keep my focus. Winning against world number one isn’t everything, there is still a long way to go,” said Alwi.

Alwi will next face Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, who won their only previous meeting 21–16, 21–17 at last month’s Badminton Asia Championships.

Kunlavut’s title defence also came to an early end after he retired from his Round of 16 match against India’s Lakshya Sen due to a back injury. His withdrawal, coupled with Shi’s defeat, leaves the men’s singles field wide open heading into the quarter-finals.

Chen survives scare as An cruises through

Defending women’s singles champion Chen Yu Fei was made to work for her place in the quarter-finals, digging deep to overcome Japan’s Hina Akechi 16–21, 21–5, 21–18 in 59 minutes.

Chen was put under pressure early, dropping the opening game 16–21 as Akechi settled quicker and kept the exchanges tight. The Chinese shuttler responded emphatically in the second, keeping Akechi to just five points to force a decider.

The final game was far tighter, with Akechi pushing Chen deep into the closing stages. But the defending champion held firm when it mattered, using a six-point run to build momentum before closing out the game 21–18 and keeping her title defence alive.

Chen will next face Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki for a place in the semi-finals, having beaten Miyazaki 21–15, 21–18 at the Thailand Open in their most recent meeting.

World No. 1 An Se Young had a far more comfortable outing, easing past Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun 21–12, 21–6. After a controlled opening game, An was especially dominant in the second, putting together a 10-point scoring run and allowing Sung little room to build momentum.

An will face India’s P.V. Sindhu tomorrow, with the South Korean holding an 8–0 head-to-head record against the 30-year-old.

Top pairs advance across doubles draws

The leading pairs in the doubles events also moved safely through, with the top seeds and defending champions making strong progress across the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles draws.

In the men’s doubles, world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea extended their winning run with a 21–14, 21–15 victory over Chinese Taipei’s He Zhi-Wei and Huang Jui-Hsuan in 35 minutes.

The South Koreans will next face Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, with Kim and Seo holding a 5–0 head-to-head record against the world No. 9 pair.

Defending champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia also advanced in straight games, overcoming England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy 21–18, 21–16. The Malaysians were pushed in patches, especially in the opening game, but were sharper in the closing stages.

They will face China’s world No. 5 pair Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang for a place in the semi-finals. Liang and Wang lead the head-to-head 10–3, including a 24–22, 21–14 win at the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals earlier this year.

In the women’s doubles, world No. 1 pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning continued their strong campaign with a comfortable 21–7, 21–13 win over Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ya Ching and Sung Yu-Hsuan. The Chinese pair controlled the pace from early on, taking the first game convincingly before completing the win in the second.

Liu and Tan will take on Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, with the pairs tied at 3–3 in their head-to-head record.

Mixed doubles defending champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran were also in dominant form, beating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Yi and Francesca Corbett 21–6, 21–11 in just 25 minutes.

They will face Japan’s world No. 18 pair Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, with the Thai pair leading their head-to-head 2–0. Dechapol and Supissara won their most recent meeting 21–9, 21–16 at last month’s Badminton Asia Championships.

The KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2026 plays from 26th to 31st May 2026 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, with daily passes priced from $40 and season passes from $115.