Lee Chong Wei nets historic win in Malaysia Open over Momota

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei won the Malaysia Open for a record twelfth time by beating Kento Momota 21-17, 23-21.

Published : Jul 01, 2018 17:53 IST , Kuala Lumpur

Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia celebrates after beating Kento Momota in the men's singles final at the Malaysia Open.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia celebrates after beating Kento Momota in the men's singles final at the Malaysia Open.
lightbox-info

Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia celebrates after beating Kento Momota in the men's singles final at the Malaysia Open.

Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei beat young Japanese shuttler Kento Momota 21-17, 23-21 on Sunday to grab the Malaysia Open title for a historic twelfth time.

The home favourite Lee executed a sensational attack strategy that left the rising star Momota confused and flat footed.

In the women's singles final, top seed Tai Tzu Ying from Taiwan saw off China's He Bingjiao 22-20, 21-11.

Lee, 35, triumphed in 71-minutes to avenge his defeat to Momota, 23, in the semi-finals of the Asian Championships in April.

The defeat also brought an abrupt end to Momota's 21-match winning streak.

“There was some pressure for me to win this tournament,” Lee told reporters.

“Now I have won the Malaysia Open for the 12th time. I hope this will encourage me to do well at the world championships and Asian Games.”

World number six Lee left Momota hapless and at times bewildered with his sharp overhead drives to take the opening game 21-17 in 30 minutes backed by a raucous home crowd.

But in the second game, Momota recovered admirably with powerful overhead smashes and some brilliant defence work.

Momota was full of praise for Lee.

“Even though he is 12 to 13-years older, he is a strong player and still dominates men's badminton,” he said.

Results

Men's singles

Lee Chong Wei (MASx7) bt Kento Momota (JPN) 21-17, 23-21

Women's singles

Tai Tzu Ying (TPEx1) bt He Bingjiao (CHNx8) 22-20, 21-11

Mixed Doubles

Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (CHNx4) bt Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping (CHNx2) 21-19, 21-18

Women's Doubles

Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (JPNx5) bt Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (CHNx1) 21-12, 21-12

Men's Doubles

Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (JPNx6) bt Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe (JPN) 21-8, 21-10

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment