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Christie Edges Past Loh, An Se Young vs Wang Zhi Yi in India Open Finals

Indonesia's Jonatan Christie staged a comeback to defeat Singapore's former world champion Loh Kean Yew in a tense men's singles semifinal. In women's singles, world number one An Se Young of South Korea cruised into the final with a commanding win. She will face China's Wang Zhi Yi, who prevailed in a tight match against compatriot Chen Yu Fei. Christie will await the winner of the other semifinal between Victor Lai and Lin Chun-Yi.

Key Points: India Open 2026: Christie, An Se Young Reach Finals

  • Christie beats former world champ Loh Kean Yew
  • An Se Young dominates Intanon
  • Wang Zhi Yi overcomes Chen Yu Fei
  • Christie extends perfect 9-0 record vs Loh
3 min read

India Open 2026: Jonatan Christie beats Loh Kean Yew; An Se Young to take on Wang Zhi Yi in women's singles final

Jonatan Christie beats Loh Kean Yew in men's singles semis. An Se Young and Wang Zhi Yi to clash in the women's singles final at India Open 2026.

"In the second game, when Loh started to come back, I held my nerves and adapted to the game better and managed to win. - Jonatan Christie"

New Delhi, January 17

Indonesia's Jonatan Christie mixed his tactics and kept his nerves in key situations to beat former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men's singles semifinals of India Open 2026.

World no. 1 An Se Young set up a women's singles summit clash against China's Wang Zhi Yi in the India Open 2026, a BWF World Tour Super 750 event organised by the Badminton Association of India, here on Saturday.

Third seed Christie fought back in the opening game from 5-11 to beat the Singaporean 21-18, 22-20 in 46 minutes to reach the men's singles final, a BAI release said.

Earlier, An Se Young defeated former champion Ratchnok Intanon of Thailand 21-11, 21-7, while Wang got the better of compatriot Chen Yu Fei 21-15, 23-21 in the women's singles semifinals.

In the men's singles semifinal, Loh came out all guns blazing in the opening game and went for quick winners and took an 11-5 lead. But Christie then began engaging the Singaporeans in longer rallies and relied on his defensive skills to force errors from his opponents.

The Indonesian won six straight points to draw level at 15-15 and then relied on quick net taps and down-the-line smashes to pocket the opening game.

In the second game, Loh needed time to get back his focus as he sprayed a couple of smashes wide.

But once he found his rhythm, it looked like the eighth seed would take the match into the decider as he opened up a 17-13 lead by keeping Christie away from the net. But the Indonesians once again went for quick attacks. Christie needed two match points to close out the match and extended his winning streak over Loh to 9-0.

"In the second game, when Loh started to come back, I held my nerves and adapted to the game better and managed to win," said Christie after the match.

The Indonesian will now face the winner of the other semi-final between Victor Lai of Canada and Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi.

Results: Men's singles: 3-Jonatan Christie (INA) bt 8-Loh Kean Yew (SGP) 21-18, 22-20

Women's singles: 1-An Se Young (KOR) bt 7-Ratchanok Intanon (THA) 21-11, 21-7; 2-Wang Zhi Yi (CHN) bt 4-Chen Yu Fei (CHN) 21-15, 23-21

Women's doubles: 1-Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (Chn) bt 6-Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (Kor) 21-12; 17-21, 21-14; 5-Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) bt 2-Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Mas) 21-16, 21-13

Mixed doubles: 3-Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran (Tha) bt 1-Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (Chn) 16-21, 21-19, 21-16.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Amazing tournament so far, but a bit sad that no Indian player is in the singles finals. BAI is doing a great job organizing, but we need to develop our next generation of champions. Where are our Lakshya Sens and PV Sindhus? The future looks a bit worrying.
A
Ananya R
An Se Young is just on another level! Defeating Ratchanok 21-11, 21-7 is a statement. The women's final against Wang Zhi Yi will be fire. Hope the stadium is packed to support these athletes. The India Open is truly a world-class event now. 👏
D
David E
Watching from Canada! Great to see Victor Lai in the other semi. Christie vs. Loh was a tactical masterclass. The shift to longer rallies was the key. Loh's power is immense, but Christie's consistency is unreal. 9-0 head-to-head is a mental block now.
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Karthik V
The atmosphere must be electric in New Delhi! These close matches show the depth in world badminton. Respect to BAI for hosting such a top event. Even though our players are out, we are proud hosts. Let's cheer for the best badminton! 🏅
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Sarah B
That second game was a rollercoaster! Loh had it at 17-13, but Christie's nerve held. "I held my nerves" - he said it perfectly. That's champion mentality. Looking forward to the finals tomorrow. The women's doubles result was an upset too!

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