Tag: Badminton

Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia shocks Kento Momota at All England badminton | Badminton News – Times of India

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BIRMINGHAM: Lee Zii Jia shocked two-time world champion Kento Momota to reach the semi-finals of the All England Open on Friday.
The Malaysian beat the world number one 21-16, 21-19 to end his Japanese opponent’s tournament after a much-anticipated return to international action this week.
The pair went blow-for-blow up until the interval, taken at 11-8. Lee surged on from there, matching Momota’s razor-sharp movement to win seven straight points and take the first game 21-16.
The 22-year-old drove home his advantage, stretching out to an 11-6 lead at the break in a white-knuckle second game in the empty arena in Birmingham.
Lee saw a net cord go his way to make it 20-19 and he went on to seal the match against the 2019 champion.
“I’ve never beaten him before, so this is a very special moment for me,” said the Malaysian, who has long been a keen follower of the Japanese player.
“I did a lot of studying about Momota. Every time I played him, it seems like there’s a big gap between us.
“I always discuss about what strategy I have to play against him, we worked a lot on that. Today is a big win for us.”
The draw has opened up for Lee, who will face Mark Clajouw of the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Momota, 26, who made a successful return to domestic badminton by winning the All-Japan Championship in December, was playing his first BWF world tour event since a January 2020 car crash in Malaysia, in which he suffered a fractured eye socket and his driver was killed.
He missed out on his planned comeback to the international tour in January after testing positive for Covid-19, which led to the Japan squad pulling out of three events in Thailand.
Denmark’s second seed Viktor Axelsen beat Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand 21-4, 21-15 to progress to the last four on Friday.
In the women’s event, Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara beat Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 18-21, 21-8, 21-16.
Indonesia’s team were forced to withdraw from the tournament earlier this week after a passenger on their flight to Britain tested positive for the coronavirus.
With the All England Open not counting towards Olympic qualification, leading Asian badminton nations China, South Korea and Taiwan had opted not to travel because of Covid-19 restrictions.

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All England Open: Indonesia out of All England Open badminton because of Covid-19 | Badminton News – Times of India

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Badminton powerhouse Indonesia have been “withdrawn” from the prestigious All England Open after British health authorities instructed the team to self-isolate for 10 days, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Wednesday.
The team was told to isolate because a person on its flight to England for the five-day championships, which started behind closed doors in Birmingham on Wednesday, tested positive for Covid-19.
“Team members from the Indonesian team have been contacted by the UK Governmentโ€™s National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace service and are required to self-isolate with immediate effect,” the BWF said in a statement.

“All Indonesian players will not be able to compete in the current or next round of the tournament and have therefore been withdrawn from the All England Open 2021.”
The results of matches already played would stand, the BWF added, with anyone drawn against an Indonesian player or doubles pairing receiving a walkover into the next round.
Indonesians Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Jonatan Christie were the fourth and fifth seeds in the men’s singles with the latter winning his first-round match against Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Wednesday.
The BWF said earlier on Wednesday the tournament would take place with a full complement of players after delaying the start of play to allow the re-testing of some player samples for COVID-19.
The retests were carried out after doubts were raised about the accuracy of the original batches of tests submitted by Badminton England.

“The outcome of the retest was deemed accurate and appropriate to use by Public Health England today,” the BWF said in a statement.
“All individuals who had returned an inconclusive or positive test previously are now negative for COVID-19 and cleared to resume their participation in the tournament.”
No teams from China, Taiwan or South Korea are taking part in the Super 1000 tournament because of travel restrictions and health concerns.



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Kento Momota eyes Olympic gold after recovering from crash | Badminton News – Times of India

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Kento Momota feared he would be unable to play badminton again after a road accident in Malaysia left him with serious injuries last year, but having returned to full fitness the world No.1 says he is gunning for gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Japanese shuttler Momota, 26, fractured his nose and right eye socket, and sustained multiple lacerations to his face after the van he was travelling in crashed into a truck in January last year.
The accident, which killed the van driver, occurred hours after Momota had secured his first victory of the season at the Malaysia Masters.
“For me, getting through that crash was a massive thing; my outlook on life really changed after that,” Momota, who is set to return to elite-level competition at this week’s All England Open, told BBC.
“I stopped taking for granted the everyday things that I was able to do in life. I never really thought about quitting the sport but I did worry that I would be left unable to play it anymore.
“I was also able to rediscover the joy in badminton.”
Momota said he does not feel the pressure of being one of Japan’s major hopes for a gold medal at the Games, which were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ll just do the best I can and not listen to any other voices around me,” he said. “I just want to go for that gold medal to grow the profile of badminton in my country.”

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Badminton’s All England event delayed after positive Covid tests | Badminton News – Times of India

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LONDON: The start of badminton‘s prestigious All England Open Championships was delayed for several hours after a number of positive and “inconclusive” Covid-19 test results, officials said.
The Super 1000 tournament, featuring the return to the circuit of Japan’s world number one Kento Momota after he was injured in a fatal car crash last year, will start at 2 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Wednesday rather than 9 a.m.
“The Badminton World Federation and Badminton England can confirm that a significant number of Covid-19 tests conducted for participating teams at the All England Championships were deemed ‘inconclusive’ and as a result, the samples will be rerun,” said a BWF statement.
“BWF can also confirm a small number of positive tests were recorded and in agreement with Public Health England, these cases will be retested. These cases will continue to self-isolate while they are being retested.”
Officials said they would “continue to implement all testing protocols required by the UK Government and Public Health England to ensure the health and safety of all participants”.

The All England Open was the final event on the BWF calendar to be played last year before the sport shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
International competition resumed in Denmark in October, but was suspended again until January when three tournaments, including the World Tour Finals, were staged in a biosecure “bubble” in Thailand.
World champion Momota will be playing his first international tournament since fracturing his eye socket in the crash that killed his driver following victory in the Malaysia Masters in January 2020.

The 26-year-old is facing a battle to regain form and fitness ahead of this year’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics after being off the tour for more than a year.
He missed out on a comeback in Thailand after testing positive for Covid-19, which led to the Japan squad pulling out of the Bangkok events.
With the event not counting towards Olympic qualification, players from China, South Korea and Taiwan had already opted not to travel because of virus restrictions, while women’s Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain has withdrawn because of an injury.



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