HONG KONG — Top-ranked Kento Momota was sent packing in the Hong Kong Open semi-finals Saturday after a stunning semi-final loss to South Korean Son Wan-ho.
Son triumphed 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 in an exhausting 89 minutes — the longest match of the tournament so far — after seeing off a late boost from the exhausted Japanese star in the decider.
Momota led through the first game but slipped for long enough for his opponent to level at 17-all after conceding six consecutive points.
He kept the edge after the interval before Son broke into the lead at 12-11 with a gravity-defying let after a tap at net.
Momota evened with a backhand after springing back from prone position after a stumble but couldn't stop the sixth seed from powering ahead.
Son led through most of the third game but Momota kept at his heels, drawing level five times before an agonizing miss on match point.
Momota has been in searing form since his return to the sport after a gambling scandal saw him slapped with a 12 month ban.
But the 24-year-old has had a slow run through the Hong Kong tournament. He beat Chinese great Lin Dan in the first round but complained of burnout after his first three matches all went to three games.
Son, 30, is through to his first top-flight singles final since his win at the 2016 Korea Masters.
In the women's singles Ratchanok Intanon bounced back from a first game wipeout to win her match against South Korea's Sung Ji-hyun 10-21, 21-11, 21-17.
The former world champion stayed well clear of her opponent through the second game as Sung struggled to catch up to the third, leveling at 12 and 15 before succumbing to Intanon's powerful smash.
One more tie at 17 was enough to focus the Thai, who swept the last four points of the decider. "Sometimes I played slow but it's not like I have no power," she said afterwards.
"Mentality is more important... Sometimes it wasn't my game but I tried to more enjoy the game. Today I feel like I controlled the pressure."
Tenth-ranked Sung had a strong run through the tournament, knocking out seeded opponents P.V. Sindhu of India and China's He Bingjao.
Ratchanok, who blitzed second-ranked Akane Yamaguchi 21-9, 21-16 in the quarter-finals, will face either Taiwan's world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying or Japan's Nozomi Okuhara on Sunday.
Srikanth upbeat on
Indian badminton
Kidambi Srikanth has suffered his third straight quarterfinals loss but says Indian badminton has a bright future, after injury woes sent the fourth seed packing from the Hong Kong Open.
India's top ranked men's player was the first Indian to reach No. 1 in the world Badminton rankings in April but has slumped since his loss to Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei in this year's Commonwealth Games final.
Srikanth's success on the international circuit despite recurring injuries and a struggle to maintain fitness has nonetheless inspired a surge of interest in the sport in India, as has high-profile women's world No. 4 P.V. Sindhu.
"We've been doing well here and there. But I really want to make it a consistent performance," he told AFP after his Friday loss to Kenta Nishimoto. "I'm improving in that particular area, being consistent around the tournaments we play. I think we will all definitely have better results in the coming years."
He plans to use the days ahead of next week's Syed Modi International back home to work on his return to form. "Before that I really want to look at myself," he said. “I'm not really 100 percent fit and I'm having small injury worries. I just want to talk to my physio and coaches first before I get on court again."
Eighteenth-ranked Sameer Verma was the final Indian player sent home from the tournament Thursday after his shock three-game loss to hometown hero Lee Cheuk Yiu in the final eight.
In the women's singles, India's Sindhu was sent packing in the second round after a razor-edge two games against Sung Ji Hyun. "It was a very close one yesterday," Srikanth said of Sindhu's ouster. "I feel luck wasn't on her side."
Sindhu's progression guaranteed her a berth in Guangzhou for next month's World Tour finals. — AFP
