PATIENCE THE DIFFERENCE

Loh blows early leads in both sets to lose a frustrating quarter-final to Li

- David Lee

As much as his inconsistency is frustrating for fans to watch, no one is more hurt by Loh Kean Yew's inability to convert advantageous situations into wins than him.

After relinquishing considerable leads to lose 21-19, 21-16 to China's world No. 6 Li Shifeng in their men's singles quarter-final at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open on May 31, he cursed under his own breath before delivering a scathing assessment of his performance.

The 26-year-old, who thanked fans for their support and took home US$4,675 (S$6,300) in prize money, said: "I was not brave enough to execute the game plan and I restricted myself a lot.

"I was very confident at the start and playing very well. But as he caught up and I made some errors, the confidence level just kept dropping. After that, I just got scared.

"The plan was to be patient while taking the initiative at the right moments. I did that at the start and played quite well. But after that, I tried to take the initiative, but I wasn't patient. Then I was passive and didn't take the initiative... it was bad."

In front of 5,860 fans, which included Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, world No. 12 Loh got off to a roaring start.