Singapore's top male shuttler Loh Kean Yew claims sixth international title, while Loh Kean Hean and Terry Hee land Men's Doubles Title
Image via SportSG
17 October 2021, Almere, Holland - There was double joy for Team Singapore in the Netherlands this weekend, as the Republic's top male badminton athlete Loh Kean Yew won the Men's Singles title while Loh Kean Hean and Terry Hee won the Men's Doubles at the YONEX Dutch Open.
Loh Kean Yew landed his sixth Men's Singles international title after defeating the tournament's top seed Lakshya Sen of India 21-12, 21-16. It was his first tournament win in two years, with his last victory coming in 2019, when the then 22 year-old first rose to international acclaim after he won the Thailand Masters in 2019 by defeating powerhouse and former world number one Lin Dan.
Double Joy
In the Men's Doubles, Loh's brother Kean Hean and partner Terry Hee made it a week to remember for Singapore badminton when they too took top prize, overcoming Malaysian pair Tan Kian Meng and Tan Wee Kiong in a nail biting finish over three sets.
Image via Singapore Badminton Association
Loh and Hee got off to a favourable start in the final, securing the first set 21-14 with a comfortable lead ahead of their opponents. However, the Malaysians bounced back and claimed the second set 21-18.
In the final set, after an intense series of close rallies, Loh and Hee took home the gold winning the final set 22-20, claiming their title as Champions of the Dutch Open Men’s Doubles.
Loh Kean Yew Progress Evident
For Loh Kean Yew, despite a two year title drought, his progress has been steady and consistent, reaching multiple finals at both regional and international level, and winning 4 silver medals in 2019 including the Men's Singles at the SEA Games, before making his Olympic bow earlier this year.
Second seeded Loh had to overcome Spain's Pablo Abian in the semi-finals, which he did clinically, dispatching his Spanish compatriot 21-6, 21-15 to book a place in the final.
Men's Doubles Pair Tipped to Go Far
The route to the final for Men's Doubles pair Kean Hean and Terry Hee, wasn't an easy one, and the pair had to defeat Emil Lauritzen and Mads Vestergaard of Denmark over three sets 14-21, 21-14, 24-22 to book a place in the final against their Causeway rivals who were seeded sixth.
The Malaysian pair had navigated their way past Danish duo Andreas Sondergaard and Jesper Toft 21-11, 21-16 in the quarter finals before overcoming Eloi Adam and Kenji Lovang of France in straight sets 21-13, 21-15.
Women's Singles
Jaslyn Hooi, who was the sole representative for Team Singapore in the Women's singles, was unable to replicate her Polish International tournament win but reached the quarter finals of the Dutch Open.
She won her first match but lost out over three sets, bowing out to India's eighth seeded Aakarshi Kashyap 11-21, 21-19, 21-14.
Mixed Doubles
In the Mixed Doubles, Terry Hee and Tan Wei Han made it into the last four, but bowed out eventually to homecrowd favourites Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek 21-17, 21-18.
Hee and Tan had earlier navigated their way past third seeded Rasmus Espersen and Christine Busch of Denmark in the quarter finals.