Kento Momota showed why he is the world champion and why he is the current world No 1 when the Japanese demolished world No 3 Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei to win the Fuzhou China Open on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Momota showed his class against his opponent in a 66-minute thriller although it was close battles during the duration of the match. The Japanse ace was a relaxed figure as he pulled himself out of deep waters many times.
In the end, it was the Japanese who walked away with a 21-13, 11-21, 21-16 win and hefty pay cheque of USD49,000 while Tien-chen won USD23,800 for his efforts.
It was an energy-sapping final for Momota who merely collapsed on the court instead of celebration his triumph. He indeed was glad that “it was over” when he sealed the winning point.
China saw both their hopes in the men’s singles – Chen Long and Shi Yuqi – were both beaten in the semi-finals by Momota and Tien-chen respectively.
But China, however, celebrated victory in the women’s singles with 20-year-old Chen Yufei, knocking out last year’s world champion Nozomi Okuhara prevailing 21-10, 21-16 in 43 minutes to signal her arrival on the big scene.
This the first title for the former world junior champion in the superseries and her first title this year. Her run to the final was remarkable, packing off three-time world champion and reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin (11-21, 21-15, 21-13) in the semi-finals.
The mixed doubles title was China’s for the taking. In an all-China final top seeds Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong getting the better of compatriots and second seeds Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping 21-15, 11-21, 21-19.
The men’s doubles final saw Indonesia’s world No 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo retain the title in a three-game battle 25-27, 21-17, 21-15 in 58 minutes against China’s He Jiting-Tan Qiang.
Korea’s Lee So-hee-Shin Seung-chan upset world champions Maya Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan 23-21, 21-18 to pocket USD51,800 in prize-money. The losers took home USD24,500. RIZAL ABDULLAH
