Second seed Zii Jia had to withdraw from the game after trailing 12-17, giving the title to unseeded Singaporean Loh Kean Yew in a 64-minute encounter at the Saarlandhalle Saarbrucken indoor stadium.

Zii Jia, ranked eighth in the world, led Kean Yew 11-7 early on, but a string of errors allowed the Singaporean to steal point after point and reduce the score to 19-18.

The game was delayed for almost seven minutes at 20-18 when Kean Yew suffered a gash on his right knuckle and had to seek medical attention courtside.

The Malaysian shuttler then regained his composure before wrapping up the first game 21-19.

The hand injury, however, did not dampen the world No 39’s spirit, and he instead pulled off a stunning comeback, taking the second game 21-13 and forcing the match into a rubber game.

The deciding game was another nail-biting contest, especially in the early stages when both shuttlers got into a neck-and-neck duel to go level at 10-10.

However, Zii Jia’s back issue ultimately took its toll, allowing Kean Yew to increase the gap to 17-12 and eventually record a career-defining moment after the Malaysian was unable to finish the game and retired.

The win saw Kean Yew extend his unbeaten record over Zii Jia after last week’s sensational 24-22, 21-14 win in the first round of the French Open.

Zii Jia’s defeat extends his title drought to eight months after defeating Viktor Axelsen of Denmark at the All England in Birmingham, England, in March.