SINGAPORE – Having secured the Taipei Open crown, a second-place finish at the German Open and a bronze at the Badminton Asia Championships in the first half of 2025, Loh Kean Yew was looking to extend his fine run and rise up the world rankings.

But the men’s singles world No. 9 was hit by a bacterial infection after a training camp in Taipei that left him confined to his bed, causing him to miss out on the Japan and China Opens in July.

On Aug 25, the 28-year-old made his return to international competition at the Badminton World Federation World Championships, overcoming a sluggish start at the Adidas Arena in Paris to beat 234th-ranked Mauritian Julien Paul 21-15, 21-12 in 31 minutes.

The 2021 world champion could not find his range early on and fell into a 0-5 deficit before he got going with some deft drops and smashes to set up a second-round match against England’s Henry Huang or Finland’s Kalle Koljonen on Aug 26.

Loh said: “I was bedridden for weeks and I had a short preparation time for these world championships. It took me a while to get used to the conditions in the opening match.

“I’m just focusing on the next match now and hope things will go well and get better for me from here.”

Compatriot Yeo Jia Min also made a comeback after also missing the higher-tier events of the Asian swing with an Achilles injury.

The women’s singles world No. 20 breezed past Myanmar’s 65th-ranked Thet Htar Thuzar 21-7, 21-10 and will meet Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan or Czech Republic’s Tereza Svabikova on Aug 26.

The 26-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals in 2019, said: “The pain had gotten more persistent and I couldn’t walk pain-free, so it was a very frustrating situation. I was off from court training for almost two months and underwent a more targeted rehabilitation process this time.

“It feels good to be back, and my goal is still to win a world championships medal.”

However, Singapore’s second stringers Jason Teh and Jaslyn Hooi saw their campaigns end at the first hurdle.

On his 25th birthday, 24th-ranked Teh put up a brave fight against China’s world No. 11 Lu Guangzu but could not capitalise on his only match point, as the latter won 16-21, 22-20, 21-14.

Teh was in control for most of the match with his aggressive play, clinically taking the first game, but his rival managed to take the match to a topsy-turvy decider as Teh eventually crumbled.

After losing the point at 13-15 down, Teh struck the floor with his racket in frustration and was awarded a yellow card for misconduct by umpire Janelyn Fundal, while Lu was also controversially given an extra point. Both decisions befuddled the commentators and the Singaporean never recovered.

He said: “The umpire said I threw a tantrum. I don’t think that was a point penalty; it’s a wrong decision by the umpire.

“Overall, I think I’m making a little progress but it’s still not enough for sure. I still need to be a lot more consistent to surpass a top-level opponent.”

World No. 98 Hooi got off to a fine start against sixth-ranked Pornpawee Chochuwong and led 11-7 in the first game, but the Thai soon turned the tide to win 21-14, 21-8.

Singapore’s men’s doubles pair Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo took on Azerbaijan’s Agil Gabilov and Dicky Pangestu later in the day, while in the mixed doubles Terry Hee and Jin Yujia play Algerian siblings Koceila and Tanina Mammeri on Aug 26.

More on this topic

The first day of action in Paris saw some high-profile casualties in the men’s singles.

Japan’s world No. 27 Yushi Tanaka scored a 19-21, 21-11, 21-15 upset over China’s world No. 4 Li Shifeng, while Malaysia’s Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia lost 21-17, 21-11 to South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin.

Lee, who has been struggling with an ankle injury since the BWF World Tour Finals in December, also talked about his mental issues as his ranking slipped to 52nd.

He told the BWF website: “I was in a situation where I wanted to stop playing. I’ve had ups and downs but it was my first time dealing with such a big injury. I was quite shocked and also clueless. I didn’t know how to deal with this problem.

“How am I going to perform when I come back? Am I still at the top level, or am I struggling with my own performance? I was concerned, to be honest, and it was quite stressful.

“During those five months, I was not just dealing with my injuries, I was dealing with stress – and of course, I had a little bit of depression. I think I learnt a lot during this process. It’s another new experience.”

More on this topic