Macau Open grand Prix: Shon Wan Ho stamps victory over Kento Momota in the second round
Korea’s emerging shuttler, Shon Wan Ho had to struggle hard to stamp victory over Japan’s Kento Momota in the Men’s Singles second round of the Macau Open Grand Prix, on Wednesday, November 30, in Macau.
The World Number 21 Wan Ho worked hard against the spirited Momota and won the fight in three games. The lower ranked Japanese played well but failed to convert his aggressive game into victory as his opponent played flawless badminton in the last two games.
The Korean won the battle by consuming 55 minutes in the court.
Wan Ho lost the opening set as his opponent was quicker and positive throughout the set. However, he played better badminton in the second game and won it with a decent score to level the match. In the decider, the Korean showed no mercy to the Japanese
and won it without facing any trouble.
The Korean was the favourite for this match as he has been playing well for the last six months and is ranked higher in the world standings. However, Momota proved his worth when he matched the speed and skill of his Korean opponent and dominated the game
in the opening set of the match. Wan Ho failed to dictate the pace of the game and lost the opening set with a 16-21 score on the board.
In the second game, Momota played well in the first half of the game but lost his focus in the second half. Wan Ho lifted his level of play and started to execute impressive strokes on the perfect areas and levelled the match by taking the second game with
a margin of 21-17.
In the deciding game of this wonderful fight, Wan Ho remained focused and maintained pressure on his Japanese rival. His flawless game in this final set spared no chance for the Japanese to fight back in the game. The Korean took the final game with a comfortable
margin of 21-14.
The impressive Korean emerged as the winner in this Men’s Singles second round contest in 55 minutes with a margin of 16-21, 21-17 and 21-14.
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