Momota Motors On – Day 1: Fuzhou China Open 2018
Kento Momota’s mastery of the icons who once ruled the Men’s Singles roost continued tonight as he dismissed waning Chinese superstar, Lin Dan, in the first round of the Fuzhou China Open 2018.
· GAYLE ALLEYNE
Coming from 14-18 down in the second game, the red-hot world No.1 (featured image) squashed fans’ hopes of a third-game thriller, beating his fellow left-hander 21-15 23-21 in 58 minutes in the last match on court. Cheered on by his compatriots, the illustrious Lin failed to convert a game point at 21-20 to force a decider as his Japanese rival roared to the finish with three unanswered points. It was Momota’s second straight victory over the two-time Olympic gold medallist, having ousted the 35-year-old in the Japan quarter-finals in September. The 24-year-old now leads their head-to-head 2-1 and will have the chance to stretch that to 3-1 when they clash again in the opening salvos in Hong Kong next week.
There was some celebration for home supporters, however, as Chen Long’s maintained his recent resurgence, staving off the determined Kantaphon Wangcharoen. The improving Thai boldly challenged the reigning Olympic titan, snatching the first game. Chen struck back in the second and was coasting at 13-6 in the third before an enthralling finale unfolded with Wangcharoen reeling off ten straight points
to lead 16-13. A dogged battle ensued with Chen getting lucky at the end as his opponent squandered two match points; the Chinese triumphing 17-21 21-12 23-21 in 107 exciting minutes.