Latest news with #KFFSingaporeBadmintonOpen
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Kunlavut Vitidsarn to top world ranking after making KFF Singapore Badminton Open final
SINGAPORE – A new men's singles world No. 1 is born in Singapore for the second year running, after Thailand's second-ranked Kunlavut Vitidsarn beat Taiwanese world No. 19 Lin Chun-yi 21-11, 25-23 in their semi-final at the US$1 million (S$1.29 million) KFF Singapore Badminton Open on May 31. By reaching the final, where he will meet China's world No. 15 Lu Guangzu on June 1, the 24-year-old has earned enough ranking points to displace China's Shi Yuqi and become the first Thai to reach the top rung when the world rankings are next released on June 3. Incidentally, Shi also rose to No. 1 for the first time after winning the 2024 KFF Singapore Badminton Open. After punching the air and hugging his coach Patapol Ngernsrisuk, Kunlavut said: 'I saw on social media I could be world No. 1 if I won today, so I'm very happy I did it. 'I'm also happy because I have been a champion three times this year, and this is my fourth final. I still need to learn a lot before the (Aug 25-31) world championships, and my bigger goals are to win Olympic gold and the All England Open title.' As the current world and Asian champion, the soft-spoken Thai is undoubtedly the in-form player in the men's singles field in Singapore, having won all his matches in straight games. After taking the first game 21-11 against Lin, he met with more resistance as the southpaw Taiwanese upped the ante in the second game, when he threw himself in making diving saves, much to the delight of the 7,220-strong crowd. After squandering a 18-15 lead, Lin saved three match points but missed his only one, before he played the shuttle into the net to hand Kunlavut a place in the final. Kunlavut said about the match: 'It's difficult to control and defend against left-handed players. I have to focus, and remember how he likes to play. In this tournament, I have to attack first and take the initiative because the shuttle is very fast and difficult to play with the draught. 'The final will be another really tough match because there's no easy matches in the men's singles game. I will try to do my best and perform well in attack and defence.' In the other semi-final, Lu beat 23rd-ranked Frenchman Christo Popov 21-15, 8-21, 21-15 as he hunts for his fourth career title. The 28-year-old Chinese player said of the final: 'I wasn't able to compete against Kunlavut in the recent Asian championships final because I hurt my back and had to retire. He is in great form so it's going to be a tough match. I'm not going to think too much, and will give my best and fight for the win.' Lu Guangzu is hunting for his fourth career title. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The women's singles final will be an all-China affair featuring world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi and fifth-ranked Chen Yufei. Tokyo 2020 Olympics champion Chen had to recover from a one-game deficit to beat world No. 4 Han Yue 12-21, 21-15, 21-12 and extend the unbeaten run against her compatriot to an astounding 10 matches. The 27-year-old Chen , who lost to An Se-young in the 2024 final but beat the South Korean in the quarter-finals on May 30, said: 'I'm really happy because I honestly didn't expect to make it to the final here. 'After yesterday's win over (world No. 1) An Se-young, I was feeling quite drained in all aspects, so I couldn't get going in the first game. After that, I thought I did well to work my way back point by point and take down the match.' She added: 'I wasn't in good condition, physically and mentally, prior to the Paris 2024 Olympics, and I think I'm 70 to 80 per cent there now. My mental state is in a better place, which helps make up for things if my physical condition is lacking.' She will have a huge psychological advantage in the final as she holds a 9-1 head-to-head record against Wang, who held firm in her 21-12, 12-21, 21-17 win over Japan's world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi. The decider was an especially gripping affair as Wang led 17-7, only for two-time world champion Yamaguchi to reel off nine straight points. The 25-year-old Chinese managed to calm her nerves to take four of the next five points to return to the final after losing at the last hurdle to India's P. V. Sindhu in 2022. Wang, who is looking for a unique Causeway double after winning the Malaysia Masters in the previous week, said: 'My opponent never gave up and managed to catch up, but I'm really glad I was able to withstand the pressure at the crucial points.' 'Being able to make it to back-to-back finals is definitely an affirmation of my performance and a sign that I'm becoming more consistent. She (Chen) is in good form and I hope we can give everyone an exciting match,' added Wang. There will also be new sets of first-time Singapore Open winners crowned in the doubles events. The women's doubles final will be contested between Japan's world No. 6 Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, and South Korea's world No. 8 Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong. In the mixed doubles, Hong Kong's world No. 3 Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet will take on Thailand's eighth-ranked Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran, with only Dechapol having won the event in 2019 and 2022 with Sapsiree Taerattanachai. David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Back to the drawing board for Terry Hee and Jin Yujia after first-round exit at S'pore Badminton Open
National mixed doubles Terry Hee (top) and Jin Yujia lost 21-14, 21-9 to Indonesians Rehan Kusharjanto and Gloria Widjaja in the KFF Singapore Badminton Open round of 32. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Back to the drawing board for Terry Hee and Jin Yujia after first-round exit at S'pore Badminton Open SINGAPORE – It is back to the drawing board for national mixed doubles badminton pair Terry Hee and Jin Yujia, as they suffered a first-round exit at the KFF Singapore Open following a 21-14, 21-9 loss to Indonesians Rehan Kusharjanto and Gloria Widjaja on May 28. This is the seventh consecutive tournament in which the world No. 27 duo, who started playing together only in November 2024, have been knocked out in the opening round of 32. Despite the support of the home crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Hee and Jin were unable to end the streak against their 26th-ranked Indonesian opponents, also a newly formed pair who made their competition debut at the Jan 28-Feb 2 Super 300 Thailand Masters. Jin, 28, said: 'This was definitely not our best performance. We were hoping to put up a better performance for all the Singaporeans. Unfortunately today, the win was not on our side and we have to reflect on what went wrong.' The match started on an even footing, but with the scores level at 4-4, the Indonesians began to pull ahead, going up 11-5 at the interval. Returning to the court, Hee and Jin narrowed the deficit briefly to 12-8, but the Indonesians regained the momentum to close out the first game 21-14. In the second game, Rehan and Gloria led throughout after building a 4-0 advantage. Quicker and sharper, the Indonesians closed out the match in 31 minutes, condemning the Singaporeans to another defeat. Reflecting on the Super 750 home event, Hee said: 'It's a very good platform and a very high-level tournament for us to gauge where we really are. Obviously we're not there yet, so we will need to work a lot harder.' The duo were paired together in late November as Hee's long-time playing partner and wife Jessica Tan was recovering from injuries. In April, Tan called time on a 14-year career to pursue further education. In their first outing, Hee and Jin had reached the semi-finals of the Guwahati Masters, before making it to the Odisha Masters final. Both are Super 100 tournaments. They won the Bangladesh International Challenge title in December 2024, their third competition together. But they have struggled in higher-level tournaments in 2025, with their best performance coming in January's India Open, where they made it to the round of 16. Hee, 29, said: 'The results have not been very good. For me, I will doubt myself and wonder what's going on. But that's an athlete's life, we have to push through and keep working hard for the day that may never come.' Jin also admitted that her morale has been affected, but noted that they are working with their coaches to improve, adding: 'But for us and our coaches, we try to focus on the process and dig deep into the problem instead of (focusing on) the win or loss.' Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min are now Singapore's remaining representatives in the US$1 million (S$1.29 million) tournament. Loh's campaign resumes on May 29, with the world No. 10 coming up against 16th-ranked Frenchman Toma Junior Popov in the round of 16 of the men's singles. World No. 11 Yeo will meet top-ranked An Se-young, the women's singles defending champion, in the last 16 on the same day. In other round-of-16 matches, Chinese world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi will meet American Zhang Beiwen after coming from behind to beat Indian teenager Unnati Hooda 13-21, 21-9, 21-15 on May 28. Akane Yamaguchi, Japan's world No. 3 and two-time world champion who beat Ukraine's Polina Buhrova 21-15, 21-13 in the first round, will face Chinese Taipei's Sung Shuo-yun next. In the men's singles, Thailand's world No. 2 and world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn will face China's Wang Zhengxing in the last 16 after defeating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-13, 21-15. Former All England champions Li Shifeng from China and Indonesia's Jonatan Christie also advanced to the last 16 after winning their respective matches on May 28. World No. 4 Li beat Japan's Koki Watanabe 21-12, 21-14 to set up a meeting with Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-yi, while world No. 5 Jonatan will come up against Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao after overcoming Ireland's Nhat Nguyen 23-21, 21-16. Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
An Se-young and Shi Yuqi back to defend KFF Singapore Open titles
South Korea's women's singles world No. 1, world and Olympic champion An Se-young has been in imperious form in 2025, winning all 20 matches and four tournaments she has played in. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE SINGAPORE – Still unbeaten in 2025, South Korea's women's singles world No. 1 and Olympic champion An Se-young will return to defend her KFF Singapore Badminton Open title from May 27 to June 1 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The 23-year-old has been a dominant force in the sport since becoming world champion and Asian Games gold medallist in 2023, in which she won 10 titles. In the following year, she became Olympic champion at Paris 2024 despite injury and run-ins with the Badminton Korea Association. Remarkably, after losing the final at the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals, An has won all 20 matches in 2025 to clinch four straight titles on the BWF World Tour, including the All England Open on March 16 despite not being at her physical best. The world champion said then: '(The All England Open win) showed me the direction I need to go. Winning this year's All England has significant meaning to my career. By not giving up, I learnt that I could be very strong. I'm very proud of myself.' Men's singles world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China will also be back to defend his title, with form on his side, having won the All England Open and Malaysia Open, and reaching the Indonesia Masters semi-final. However, his fine run was stopped at the Badminton Asia Championships quarter-final stage when he lost to Loh Kean Yew. The 11th-ranked Singaporean, who leads home hopes, has been in resurgent form in recent months, making it to at last the last eight in four out of seven events in 2025, including the German Open final and Badminton Asia Championships semi-finals. The 27-year-old, who reached the quarter-final of his home open in 2024, said: 'I'm always proud to compete in Singapore. The cheers of fellow Singaporeans and that electrifying energy always give me that extra boost. I'm excited for the KFF Singapore Badminton Open and can't wait to play my best in front of the home crowd.' Other Singaporeans in the main draw include men's singles world No. 23 Jason Teh, German Open champion and women's singles world No. 12 Yeo Jia Min, as well as 27th-ranked mixed doubles pair Jin Yujia and Terry Hee, who will combine at the event for the first time since the latter's wife Jessica Tan retired earlier in the year. Hee said: 'This is our first year partnering together and I'm thrilled that we qualified for a Super 750 event right here in Singapore. Having my parents in the stands – and also my wife Jessica this year – cheering us on with all the other Singaporeans makes it extra special for me.' While there are a host of stars for the US$1 million (S$1.31million) tournament, including all five winners from the Badminton Asia Championships such as Thailand's men's singles world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, some big names will be absent. These include Paris 2024 men's singles champion Viktor Axelsen and bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia. The Dane went for back surgery in April, while the Malaysian is still recovering from a right ankle ligament injury. Over 70 per cent of the tickets are sold, and daily tickets from $40 to $330 and season passes from $100 to $450 are available from Ticketmaster. As part of the SG60 celebrations, event organisers have launched 'Chase the Bus', a special campaign honouring Singapore's sporting and political milestones. Fans are encouraged to spot a SBS Transit Service 7 bus featuring Loh, Teh, Yeo and Hee along with past champions and world-class shuttlers linked to the tournament, snap creative selfies, and post them on Instagram with the hashtag #kffsbo2025chasethebus. Seven lucky winners will each receive a pair of season passes. David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
