# Malaysian ace defeats Japan’s Momota in final
# Tzu Ying retains her women’s singles title
Lee Chong Wei snapped Kento Momota’s 21-match unbeaten streak and the process wrote history himself to bag his 12th Malaysian Open title with a 21-17, 23-21 win in the final in the USD700,000 Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open at the Axiata Arena on Sunday.
And the best badminton was seen in the epic 71-minute finale that ended in a dramatic fashion as the 35-year-old Chong Wei staved off a strong comeback by the Japanese. Chong Wei once again, displaying that age is not a factor as he battled the 23-year-old Japanese who is hailed as the next world number one.
Chong Wei had already thrown his racquet on the court and was about to celebrate victory when Momota challenged the call “out” by the line judge in the second game. However, there was no stopping the Malaysian from celebrating when the shuttle was in his favor.
And the home crowd celebrated as the song “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner was played at the end of the victory ceremony.
Chong Wei won the first game 21-17 in 28 minutes but it was not all smooth sailing for the Malaysian in the second when he surrendered a 13-6 lead and allowed Momota to reel in six points in a row and the battle was on.
Some bad judgments by Chong Wei gave Momota a lifeline as the score moved from 18-18 to 20-20 before the home hero steadied himself for his 12th title in 14 finals. Chong Wei pocketed USD49,000 in prize money that came with the title while Momota settled for USD23,400 for his efforts.
The head-to-head count between the two now stands at 2-1 in Chong Wei’s favor who was beaten 19-21, 14-21 by Momota in the semi-finals in this year’s Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China in April.
Earlier, world number one and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei retained his women’s singles title after being given a fright by China’s eighth seed He Bingjiao for a 22-20, 21-11 win in 35 minutes.
Tzu Ying showed that she was cool under pressure and saved three game points in the first game to win 22-20 for her third Malaysian Open she first won in 2013. This is also her fourth title this year
Japan also created history with the two Japanese pairs playing in the men’s doubles final in the Superseries. Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda defeated compatriots Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe 21-8, 21-10 in 30 minutes for the title and the USD51,800 prize. The losers won USD24,800.
Japan’s Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi, seeded fifth, upset top seeds Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan of China for the women’s doubles title with a 21-12, 21-12 win in the 46-minute final.
The mixed doubles final was an all-China affair with Zheng Siwei-Huang Yagiong defeating Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping 21-19, 21-18 for the title. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
FINAL RESULTS
Mixed Doubles
Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) beat Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping 21-19, 21-18
Women’s Doubles
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) 21-12, 21-12
Women’s Singles
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat He Bingjiao (Chn) 22-20, 21-11
Men’s Doubles
Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe (Jpn) 21-8, 21-10
Men’s Singles
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Kento Momota (Jpn) 21-17, 23-21
