Yeo Jia Min makes history as first women’s singles badminton player to make it into quarter finals of World Championships

Shuttler Yeo Jia Min has become Singapore’s first women’s singles player to make it to the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships in Basel, Switzerland as she defeated Vi Thi Trang of Vietnam on Thursday (22 August),

The 20-year old won in three sets (21-15, 14-21, 21-16) in a match that lasted over an hour. Following the match, Ms Yeo said she felt “happy and excited” to have managed the win and made history.

“In the second game I started off slower and she was able to be more consistent,” she said. But Yeo rallied in the third set and sunk to her knees in relief when her opponent’s final shot hit the net, sealing Yeo’s win and sending her to the next round.

“I felt relieved because I had been determined to win,” said Yeo.

Yeo, ranked 32 in the world rankings, had earlier defeated world number one Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.

Next up, she’s due to face Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon. Intanon defeated Indonesian Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 18-21 23-21 21-10 in the previous round to secure her spot in the quarter-finals against Yeo.

Yeo won her first title of the year in August when she reigned victorious at the women’s singles finals of the Hyderabad Open in India.

History in the making for men’s singles as well

Yeo’s fellow Singapore shuttler Loh Kean Yew also made history when he beat France’s Thomas Rouxel on 21 August to make it into the last 16 of the men’s singles event of the World Championships.

The 22-year old became the first Singapore men’s shuttler to make it to this stage of the World Championships since 2011 when Derek Wong triumphed over Indonesian star Taufik Hidayat.

Loh’s next challenge is Taiwan’s Chow Tien-chen who is the world No.2 and winner of the 2018 Singapore Open. If Loh makes it past Chou, he will become the first Singaporean men’s shuttler to make it to the quarter-final stage in 12 years since Ronald Susilo did it in 2007.