Loh Kean Yew breaks title drought after 833-day wait, clinches Spain Masters victory

SINGAPORE – Loh Kean Yew’s 833-day wait for a follow-up triumph to his 2021 badminton world title has ended.

On March 31, the world No. 11 beat 25th-ranked Toma Junior Popov of France 21-11, 15-21, 22-20 in the Madrid Spain Masters men’s singles final at the Centro Deportivo Municipal Gallur for his third Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour crown.

The US$210,000 (S$283,000) event is on the fifth tier of the BWF World Tour, behind the World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750 and Super 500 events.

Including major games and lower-tier international tournaments, this is Loh’s ninth win in 20 finals.

In the earlier rounds in Madrid, he had beaten Chinese Taipei’s world No. 60 Huang Yu-kai, Popov’s younger brother Christo (21st), Denmark’s Mads Christophersen (55th) and another Taiwanese Wang Tzu-wei (24th).

Loh was at his explosive best at the start of the final, unleashing smashes of over 400 kmh, executing skilful changes in pace and direction, and displaying cat-like reflexes while defending to dominate an opponent he had overcome in all four previous encounters as he took the opener in just 14 minutes.

But, despite more than seven hours on court in Madrid, as he also reached the men’s doubles semi-final with Christo, Toma showed the resolve that led him to win all of his previous 12 men’s singles finals at senior level. Maximising his 1.96m frame, the 25-year-old unleashed his own booming shots to level the tie as Loh struggled with the drift in the second game.

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Loh looked nervy in the decider at first with an unsuccessful challenge, but found his range with a 461kmh smash and delicate dropshots to lead 11-7 at the interval. Despite a defiant fightback from Toma, pegging back to 19-19 and 20-20, the Singaporean kept his nerve in the mid-court battles to secure the elusive win, before sliding on his knees and roaring in relief and elation.

The victory, which comes with a US$15,750 prize money, will also bring Loh 7,000 points that will help him improve his world ranking. This could help him secure seeding at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 26-year-old’s first BWF World Tour title was at the 2019 Thailand Masters, a Super 300 event in which he memorably beat Chinese legend Lin Dan in the final. He then won his first Super 500 event at the 2021 Hylo Open in Germany.

Interestingly, Spain was where he became world champion on Dec 19, 2021 in Huelva, and he had to wait for a return to Iberia to win his next title after losing in five finals in the last 27 months.

Loh and his compatriots will now prepare for the April 9-14 Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China.

In the first round, 2023 finalist Loh will meet Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, while Yeo Jia Min plays Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong in the women’s singles, and Terry Hee and Jessica Tan take on Taiwanese Chang Ko-chi and Lee Chih-chen in the mixed doubles.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.