Another Medal Beckons

S'pore's Loh bounces back from poor start to book q-final spot at Paris world c'ships

- David Lee

Singapore's Loh Kean Yew is one win away from clinching his second Badminton World Federation World Championships medal, after coming from behind to beat Japan's eighth-ranked Kodai Naraoka 5-21, 21-19, 21-19 in the men's singles round of 16 on Aug 28.

The 28-year-old will meet Canada's 50th-ranked Victor Lai - the 20-year-old Pan Am champion who is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the draw - in the quarter-finals on Aug 29. Another victory at the Adidas Arena in Paris would secure at least a bronze medal for either player.

Returning from a bacterial infection that left him bedridden for weeks and kept him out of international competition in July, world No. 9 Loh had to suffer before he survived.

He told The Straits Times: "It was a tough match and a lot went on on the court. (Naraoka) played very well in the first game and I couldn't follow the pace.

"I picked up the pace a little in the second game and I'm glad it worked. It was very intense and crucial in the third game and it could have been anyone's game at the end and I'm happy and relieved to come away with the win."

In his comeback tournament in the French capital, Loh had made slow starts in his triumphs over Mauritian Julien Paul and Finn Kalle Koljonen in the earlier rounds.