Loh Kean Yew, Yeo Jia Min out of Singapore Badminton Open

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min have been knocked out of the Singapore Badminton Open after losing their second round matches on Thursday (Jun 8).

Loh, ranked fifth in the world, lost to his lower-ranked French opponent Christo Popov, 21-10, 23-21 in 45 minutes.

The Singaporean fought hard after losing the first set and saved two match points in the second before the Frenchman finally won. Popov will next face Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarter-finals.

In the women's singles, Yeo Jia Min lost to second seed An Se-young of South Korea 21-12, 21-11 in 32 minutes. Yeo had only beaten the South Korean once in six previous meetings. 

There are no Singapore players left in the tournament after Loh and Yeo's defeats on Thursday.

The Singapore Badminton Open runs from Jun 6 to Jun 11 and has a prize purse of US$850,000 (S$1.15 million).