Backed by a 6,260-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Loh Kean Yew produced his strongest performance of the week to reach the semi-finals of the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2026 presented by JK Technology, coming from behind to defeat Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen 16–21, 21–6, 21–8 in 55 minutes.

Loh storms back after slow start

Loh had to work through a difficult opening game, with Chi settling quickly and keeping the Singaporean under pressure through his consistency and control.

Loh led 8–6 in the opener, but unforced errors began to creep in, and Chi took full advantage. The Chinese Taipei shuttler strung together eight consecutive points to turn the game around, and from there, Loh was unable to close the gap as Chi took it 21–16.

The match changed completely in the second game. Loh raised the pace, attacked with greater intent and cut down the errors that had hurt him in the opener. He put together a nine-point scoring run and allowed Chi just six points in a dominant 21–6 response.

The decider was just as convincing. Loh stayed aggressive, returned Chi’s attacks well and controlled the exchanges from all across the court. Backed by the home crowd, he continued to pull away, using a seven-point run to seal the final game 21-8.

“I am happy to win in the Super 750 quarter-finals and reach the semi-finals. It makes it even more meaningful to do it in Singapore,” said Loh.

He also credited the home crowd for helping him lift his level after the opening game.

“I think a big kudos to the crowd. They were cheering so loudly that I think the opponent was also affected. I am very thankful for their support to liven up the atmosphere. It also boosted my playing,” he added.

The win matches Loh’s best performance at the Singapore Open, having last reached the semi-finals in 2022. He will next face Japan’s Koki Watanabe, who beat India’s Lakshya Sen 21–19, 15–21, 21–15.

Loh and Watanabe last met at the Badminton Asia Championships in April, where the Singaporean won 22–20, 15–21, 21–15 in one hour and 11 minutes.

Lanier and Alwi complete men’s singles semi-final line-up

The other men’s singles semi-final will feature two young contenders, with France’s Alex Lanier set to face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.

Lanier produced an impressive comeback to beat world No. 3 Anders Antonsen 14–21, 21–16, 21–16 in 79 minutes, while Alwi continued his strong run in Singapore by defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21–12, 21–17.

Lanier and Alwi have already met twice this year, with the Frenchman winning on both occasions.

An sets up Chen rematch in women’s singles

World No. 1 An Se Young will face defending champion Chen Yu Fei in the women’s singles semi-finals, with the Korean looking to avenge last year’s quarter-final defeat that ended her unbeaten start to 2025.

An extended her perfect head-to-head record against India’s P.V. Sindhu to 9–0 with a 21–17, 21–14 win in 49 minutes.

Chen had to work much harder for her place in the last four, overcoming Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki in a 79-minute battle. Miyazaki fought back from 14–17 down in the opening game with seven consecutive points to take it 21–17, but Chen responded by producing her own late surge in the second, winning six straight points from 15–17 down to force a decider. The defending champion then controlled the third game to seal the win.

In the other semi-final, China’s Wang Zhi Yi will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. Wang beat Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21–11, 9–21, 21–13, while Yamaguchi edged Ratchanok Intanon 19–21, 21–19, 22–20 in a marathon contest.

Top men’s doubles seeds extend unbeaten run

In the men’s doubles, world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae continued their perfect start to 2026, improving to 19–0 with a 21–19, 21–18 win over Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.

They will next face India’s Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who came from behind to beat Malaysia’s Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing 19–21, 21–17, 21–13.

China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang knocked out defending champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, winning 21–15, 21–15 in just 32 minutes. They will meet Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who beat Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21–18, 10–21, 21–14.

Women’s doubles semi-finalists confirmed

Women’s doubles world No. 1 pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning advanced after receiving a walkover from Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.

They will face South Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee, who beat Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21–15, 21–15.

The other semi-final will see China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian take on Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Chiharu Shida. Jia and Zhang defeated Bulgaria’s Stoeva sisters 21–14, 16–21, 21–13, while Igarashi and Shida beat Thailand’s Aimsaard sisters 21–13, 21–18.

Defending mixed doubles champions bow out

In mixed doubles, Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara caused one of the biggest upsets of the day, knocking out defending champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran 21–19, 21–23, 21–16.

They will next face India’s Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who advanced after Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei retired due to an injury to Toh.

Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje also reached the semi-finals after coming from behind to beat Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang 16–21, 21–15, 21–10.

They will face China’s Gao Jia Xuan and Wei Ya Xin, who won the most recent meeting between the pairs 22–24, 21–16, 21–18 at last week’s Malaysia Masters semi-finals.

Held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 26 to 31 May 2026, the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2026 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.

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.