All England: Kento Strikes Back
Kento Momota broke the spell of a nemesis as he made the quarterfinals of the YONEX All England.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Momota’s straight games victory over Heo Kwanghee might well be one of his most important victories in recent times, for the Korean had scuppered his chances at his home Olympics and followed that up with a victory at the Thomas Cup.
Momota had things well under control, keeping a steady hand and forcing Heo to do all the running. The 2019 champion was conscious of taking the net at the earliest opportunity, and came away pleased with his performance.
“As I’d lost to him twice, I wanted to challenge myself, and I did my best,” said the Japanese. “I was able to play much closer to the net. My training has been normal, and day by day I’m working towards not having any regrets in my preparation.”