Ginting Will Be the Dark Horse – Men’s Singles Preview
Kento Momota has played his cards right all through the season, but can some of his competitors pull out an ace or two and surprise the world champion at the season finale?
· DEV SUKUMAR
Among the qualifiers to the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2018, the Japanese is likely to be pay particular attention to two names: Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Korea’s Son Wan Ho.
Ginting was the only player who troubled Momota consistently. Although the Japanese won four of their six encounters this year, Ginting stretched him to three games in three of those matches. More importantly, the Indonesian stopped the Japanese in his tracks at the Asian Games, and followed that up with a stunning performance in the final of the VICTOR China Open, where he beat Momota in straight games.
Son Wan Ho was on a four-match losing streak to Momota, but the Korean, against all expectations, beat the Japanese in the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open before going on to clinch the title. Son had a mediocre season and only seemed to wake up late in the year, winning the Hong Kong Open and the Gwangju Korea Masters; if he sustains that momentum, the Korean can cause ripples in Guangzhou.