The former World Champion has posed a big challenge for Antonsen before, but it did not look like that scenario was going to repeat itself in the first set on the green indoor floor in Kuala Lumpur as the Dane was in complete control of the first set.
It only took a few minutes for Antonsen to build a huge gap in the first set against the wasteful Singaporean. 3-2 turned into 8-2 and quickly 15-3, while both players and spectators only waited for the one-sided first set to end after Antonsen failed to convert six points before he finally secured the set.
However, Antonsen could not keep up his bright start in the second set. The set tipped Loh's way, when he won six successive points in the middle of the set and made a comfortable gap.
Despite a promising start to the decisive third set, Antonsen was unable to shake off Loh.
The set and the match could easily have gone in the Singaporean's favor, but in the end a half-tired Antonsen earned two match points and took advantage of the first.
Antonsen won the big tournament two years ago, and he continues his quest for a repeat when he faces unseeded opposition from either Japan or Canada in the second round.