Japan’s Kento Momota wins Korea Open
Japanese star has worked his way back to the top
Seoul: Top-ranked Kento Momota of Japan clinched the men’s singles title at the Korea Open badminton tournament on Sunday with a win over No. 2 Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan.
The 25-year-old downed Chou 21-19, 21-17 in a final that lasted 53 minutes.
Momota, with over 300 wins under his belt, saw his career descend into controversy in 2016 when he was suspended for more than a year for visiting an illegal casino and was denied a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Japanese star, who was world No. 1 at the time, has since worked his way back to the top and Sunday’s win raises his Olympic hopes a year ahead of the Tokyo Games.
In the women’s final, China’s He Bingjiao defeated Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 18-21, 24-22, 21-17.