Singapore — French world No. 9 Alex Lanier continued his impressive run at the Singapore Open, defeating Indonesia’s rising star Alwi Farhan in straight games to book his place in the men’s singles final against home favorite Loh Kean Yew.
Lanier needed 47 minutes to overcome Alwi 21-11, 21-14 in Saturday’s men’s singles semifinal. The victory marked Lanier’s fourth win in six career meetings against the Indonesian and extended his winning streak over Alwi to three matches this season.
Loh Kean Yew, backed by strong support from the Singapore crowd, also secured his spot in the final after a three-game battle against Japan’s Koki Watanabe. The former world champion won 21-15, 15-21, 21-9 to reach another major final on home soil.
After the deciding game was tied at 4-4, Loh took control of the pace and allowed Watanabe very few opportunities to recover. The win was Loh’s third victory in six meetings against the Japanese player and followed his earlier win over Watanabe at the Asian Championships in Ningbo in April.
The final between Lanier and Loh promises to be one of the biggest highlights of this Singapore Open, with Lanier chasing another breakthrough title and Loh looking to lift the trophy in front of his home fans.
Fajar/Fikri Storm Into Men’s Doubles Final
In men’s doubles badminton news, Indonesia’s third seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri produced a dominant semifinal performance to defeat China’s fifth seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 23-21, 21-4.
After edging a tight opening game, Fajar and Fikri completely controlled the second game, at one stage winning 12 straight points to pull far ahead. The victory also gave the Indonesian pair revenge for their defeat to Liang and Wang at last December’s World Tour Finals.
This was Fajar and Fikri’s second win in five meetings against the Chinese pair. They will now face India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the men’s doubles final.
Rankireddy and Shetty End Kim/Seo’s Winning Run
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the Singapore Open men’s doubles final after a high-quality win over world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea.
The Indian fourth seeds defeated the reigning world champions 21-19, 21-18, ending Kim and Seo’s unbeaten run this season. Before this loss, the Korean pair had won 18 consecutive matches across four tournaments in 2026.
Rankireddy and Shetty had lost their first two meetings against Kim and Seo, making this result especially significant. After also reaching the Thailand Open final recently, the Indian pair now have a chance to become the first Indian men’s doubles team to win the Singapore Open title.
An Se Young Sets Up Final Against Akane Yamaguchi
In women’s singles, world No. 1 An Se Young fought back from a game down to defeat defending champion Chen Yu Fei of China in a thrilling semifinal.
The top-seeded Korean won 20-22, 21-12, 21-15 after an 83-minute battle. The result allowed An to avenge her previous defeat to Chen and improved her head-to-head record against the Chinese star to 16 wins and 14 losses.
An, the Singapore Open champion in both 2023 and 2024, will now chase her third title at the tournament. She has been one of the most consistent players on the badminton circuit this season, reaching five consecutive finals. Her 2026 run includes titles at the Malaysia Open, India Open, and Asian Championships, with her only final defeat coming at the All England Open against Wang Zhi Yi.
Standing in her way is Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, who battled past China’s second seed and All England champion Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 17-21, 21-15.
The win ended Yamaguchi’s six-match losing streak against Wang and sent her into the Singapore Open final for the first time in three years. Yamaguchi, who recently won the Thailand Open, will now aim to capture her first Singapore Open crown. She previously reached the final in 2023 but lost to An Se Young.
Mixed Doubles and Women’s Doubles Finals Confirmed
In mixed doubles, Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara will face Denmark’s fifth seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje in the final. The Danish pair advanced with a comfortable 21-11, 21-13 win over China’s Gao Jia Xuan and Wei Ya Xin, who had just won the Malaysia Masters last week.
In women’s doubles, China will have an all-Chinese final. Top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning defeated Korea’s third seeds Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee 21-15, 21-10 to move into the title match.
They will face fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, who beat Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Chiharu Shida 21-13, 21-14.
With major names still in contention across all five events, the Singapore Open finals are set to deliver another exciting day of world-class badminton.
