At their last meeting at the semi-finals of the Asia Championships in April, it was Momota who claimed victory. Having been on a winning streak since then, many expected him to deny Wei his dozen titles. But at this event, it was Wei who controlled the match, varying between softer shots and his deadly jump smash to win 21-17, 23-21. In the end, Momota congratulated the champion, telling BWF “He changed the game today, compared to our last meeting. Today he played several variations at the net, and he was fast and powerful in his smashes. Even though he is 13 years older than me, he is still very strong and I have a lot of respect for him.”
In men’s doubles it was an all-Japan affair as Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda defeated compatriots Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe in a somewhat one-sided 21-8, 21-10 victory. Both pairs battled through Chinese teams in the semis before reaching the finals.
In women’s doubles, Olympic Champions Misaki Matsumoto and Ayaka Takahashi faced off against World Champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan. Matsumoto and Takahashi were once again in top form as they closed the match 21-12, 21-12.
The World Tour continues through Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore before concluding at the end of this month at the TOTAL BWF World Championships 2018 in Nanjing, China.
Lee Chong Wei: DUORA 10, BG66 FORCE, POWER CUSHION 03
Kento Momota: ASTROX 88 D, AEROBITE, POWER CUSHION 65 Z MEN
Takeshi Kamura: ASTROX 88 S, BG80, POWER CUSHION 65 Z MEN
Keigo Sonoda: ASTROX 88 D, NANOGY 95, POWER CUSHION 65 Z MEN
Ayaka Takahashi: DUORA 7, BG80 POWER, POWER CUSHION 65 Z LADIES
Full match results
Photos by Badminton Photo