Things were closer at the start of the second game, and Loh had to come back from 7-9 down to lead 11-9 at the break. Watanabe, however, mounted a comeback, taking the lead at 14-13 and not looking back.
Down 0-3 in the decider, Loh showcased immense mental strength as he stormed back to a 11-5 interval lead. He would then see off the contest to the delight of the partisan home crowd.
Prior to Saturday, Loh’s best finish at his home tournament was a last-four appearance in 2022 where he lost to Anthony Ginting.
Loh had to dig deep to book his semi-final spot this edition.
He eked out wins over India’s Srikanth Kidambi and then H S Prannoy in the round-of-16, before beating Chi. All three matches went to a decider.
The former world champion is Singapore’s sole representative in the tournament after first-round exits for Jason Teh, Yeo Jia Min and the men’s doubles pair of Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo.
It has not been an easy 2026 for Loh, who made two tournament semi-finals early in the year but has since had to deal with injury.
However, the focus on recovery has inadvertently meant that he went into the Singapore Open with less stress than he did in the past, he told reporters post-match.
“The best thing about this week is I managed to show up every day and play in the tournament,” Loh said.
“No matter what (my physical condition) is, tomorrow is the last day and I’m just going to push through all the way.”