April 01, 2024, 02:28 AM
Singapore badminton player Loh Kean Yew won the Spain Masters on Sunday, March 31, putting an end to his two-year title drought.
Loh beat France's Toma Junior Popov 21-11, 15-21, 22-20 in Madrid.
It was the the 26-year-old's first title since the 2021 World Championships in December 2021, when he also won it in Spain.The Singaporean, ranked number 11 in the world, has won all five matches against his French opponent, who is ranked number 25 in the world.
Loh was unleashing smashes, with one clocking in at over 460kmh, according to The Straits Times.
The win comes with US$15,750 (S$21,248) in prize money.
This is Loh's third BWF World Tour title.
He won the Thailand Masters in 2019 and Hylo Open in 2021.
To accomplish the winning feat in 2021, he pulled off a fairytale run and beat a number of higher-ranked players, including Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Loh was the first Singaporean to win a BWF World Championships title.
Tough 2-year drought
It has been a tough run so far before Sunday's victory.
Loh had reached five finals in the past 27 months and won none.
He had made it to the finals of the Korea Open in July 2023 and the Thailand Masters in February 2024, only to lose to Denmark's Anders Antonsen and Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen respectively.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam praised the champion.
He wrote in a social media post: “Competing at the top is extremely difficult. Kean Yew has managed his emotions, taken lessons from each setback, and believed in himself.”
Top photos via Singapore Badminton Association
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