KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2025: Southeast Asian Badminton Stars Light Up Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Hana Basir
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
With a long list of Southeast Asian shuttlers at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2025, Sportplus.sg highlights a few regional stars from day two of the tournament
Southeast Asia has produced a number of world-class star shuttlers who have torn up the Badminton World Federation (BWF) circuit for years—seeing as badminton is one of the most popular sports in the region. With the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) set to be held in Thailand at the end of this year, it's hard not to realise the amount of athletic talent the region has.
And they were on show yesterday at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open (KFFSBO) 2025.
Former world champions, current World No. 1s, fan-favourites—you name it. With plenty of Southeast Asian shuttlers taking to the court yesterday, here are a few of the highlights.
Terry Hee and Jin Yu Jia VS Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja - Mixed Doubles
Team Singapore's new mixed doubles pair Terry Hee and Jin Yujia took on another fresh pair, Indonesians Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in front of a supportive home crowd.
It was a tough outing for the home favourites though, who never found their footing throughout the duration of the 31-minute long match. The Indonesians, ranked at World No. 26—one spot above Terry and Yujia—proved that they were ones to watch, as their pace and sharpness proved to be too much for the Singaporeans.
Hee reflected and said: “The Singapore Badminton Open is a very good platform and a very high-level tournament to gauge where we really are at. And obviously we are not there yet, so we need to work a lot harder.”
Jin added: “The crowd was great, but not our performance. We will definitely go back and reflect and discuss with the coaches, and see what went wrong and what to work on.”
Kunlavut Vitidsarn - Men's Singles
One of the biggest stars of the day was none other than Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who sits in second in the BWF World Rankings. Singaporeans may remember him for causing an upset, beating Loh Kean Yew—world champion at the time—at the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games final.
Vitidsarn, nicknamed View, then went on to become the world champion in 2023, and clinching silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now the highest ranking Southeast Asian shuttler in the men's singles, Vitidsarn is a hot favourite in the region to win almost any tournament he graces.
Yesterday at the KFFSBO 2025, the Chonburi-born shuttler entertained the crowd with a commanding win in two straight sets against Kenta Nishimoto, triumphing 21-13, 21-15.
After a close start at 6–6, the Thai star took control and never looked back, turning up the intensity in both games and finishing with a run of five straight points in the second.
The Badminton Asian Champion said: “I feel very happy because last year I had to withdraw from this tournament. This year, I hope for the best in this tournament and will try my best. I hope to have many fans come and support me.”
Vitidsarn will next face Wang Zheng Xing today at the estimated time of 4.50pm.
Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik - Men's Doubles
Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik walked out onto the court to an eruption of cheers from the fans.
The two survived a tough test against Denmark’s Rasmus Kjær and Frederik Søgaard, winning 21–19, 24–22. The Malaysians trailed by eight points in the second game but clawed back to force a deuce, eventually securing the win after saving multiple game points.
The World No. 3 men's doubles pair have been a fan favourite for as long as they've been playing together. The duo clinched Malaysia's first ever world-title at the 2022 World Championships, and are also the current Asian Champions. The pair last made an appearance at the SEA Games in 2019, where they won gold.
Chia and Soh now turn their attention to Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
Jonatan Christie - Men's Singles
World No. 5 Jonatan Christie also took to the court yesterday as he faced Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in his opening fixture.
Despite what seemed to be a relatively easier opening round compared to previous years—where Christie's had to face Shi Yu Qi in 2023 and Chou Tien Chen in 2024—the Indonesian needed an hour to huff and puff his way into the round of 16. Christie eventually triumphed over Nguyen 23-21, 21-16 and will next face Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao.
Christie is one of Indonesia's most prominent shuttlers. The 27-year-old won three back-to-back SEA Games golds from 2015-2019, and has won a slew of other gold medals including the 2024 Asian Championships, and the 2020 Thomas Cup. He also became Indonesia's first All-England Champion in 30 years in 2024, when he defeated compatriot Anthony Ginting.
Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Phuwanat Horbanluekit - Mixed Doubles
In the mixed doubles, Thailand's Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Phuwanat Horbanluekit fell to Hong Kong's Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet in a resounding 21-16, 21-5 victory.
The Thai pair have only played eight matches together and are ranked 137 in the BWF World Rankings, as compared to Tang and Tse who sit in third.
However, Taerattanachai is no stranger to the top of the rankings. Before being paired with Horbanluekit, the four-time SEA Games champion plied her trade with Dechapol Puavaranukroh. Together, the pair reached the very top of the BWF World rankings in 2021.
This milestone followed a series of dominant performances, including winning the 2021 BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain, where they defeated Japan's Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino in the final.
Their ascent to the top marked a historic achievement, as they became the first Thai pair to attain the world No. 1 ranking in mixed doubles badminton.
The pair, who had played together for seven years, reached their first ever Superseries final at the 2017 Singapore Open. Puavaranukroh and Taerattanachai officially ended their mixed doubles partnership in September 2024, following their quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics in July 2024. The Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) decided to split the duo after their performance at the Olympics.
Following the split, Puavaranukroh began partnering with Supissara Paewsampran, who defeated Malaysia's Wong Tien Chi and Lime Chiew Sien on Tuesday in their opening round of KFFSBO 2025.
Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan - Women's Doubles
One of the final games of the night featured Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. Also fan-favourites, the duo are known for their on-the-court performances and the bond they share off-the-court.
Together, the two became the first ever Malaysian women's doubles pair to advance to the semi-finals of an Olympic Games at the Paris 2024 games, but were eventually defeated.
The duo are also the current Commonwealth Champions after winning gold at the 2022 games in Birmingham.
The two fourth seeds sailed into the round of 16 of the KFFSBO 2025, after defeating Hong Kong's Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan 21-16, 21-18. They are now set to face Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in the round of 16.
Now in the tournament's third day, the KFFSBO is still rife with Southeast Asian talent, with today's blockbuster matches featuring Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min. The two are the only local shuttlers left in the tournament, having beaten their opponents in the round of 32 on Tuesday (27 May).
Loh is set to take to the court at around 4.40pm as he faces France's Toma Junior Popov. He will be followed by Yeo, who faces a tough test against World No. 1 and defending KFFSBO champion An Se Young.
To check the schedule for today's games, visit the BWF website here.