Japan surprise China with sensational victory in Thomas Cup
World number two Chen Long loses to Tago Kenichi and never recovered in their semi-final face-off
Japan caused a sensational upset yesterday, knocking out overwhelming favourites and defending champions China 3-0 in the semi-final of the Thomas Cup badminton championship in New Delhi.
World No 4 Kenichi Tago and the fast-rising Kento Momoto registered contrasting wins over more fancied opponents to help Japan make the final for the first time.
Tago scored an easy 21-13, 21-11 win over world No 2 Chen Long in 43 minutes, and former world junior champion Momoto defeated world No 6 Du Pengyu 23-25, 21-18, 21-14.'
It came as a big surprise to us all. What was even more surprising was the way Momota won the second singles
The 14th-ranked Momoto, who won the decisive match immediately after Kenichi Hayakawa and Hiroyuki Endo won the doubles, credited the pair for the victory.
“The only way to win against China is to take them in the doubles, and that was exactly our game plan,” Momoto said. “As a team, we are targeting to win the title, and we have some experienced players.”
Japan’s South Korean coach Park Joo-bong said the victory was a surprise.