Kento Momota and Chen Long march into China Open quarters

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Kento Momota is truly unstoppable this season. (photo: AFP)
Kento Momota is truly unstoppable this season. (photo: AFP)

Fuzhou: World No. 1 Kento Momota has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Fuzhou China Open with a comfortable victory over Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark on Thursday.

Momota needed only 37 minutes to see off the Dane 21-13, 21-15 to set up a meeting with No. 7 seed Son Wan Ho of Korea on Friday.

Although critics have written him off after a poor year, but the Rio Olympic champion Chen Long of China, who has issued a strong statement of intent that he’s back in form after winning the French Open two weeks ago, overcame Hsu Jen Hao of Taiwan 21-14, 21-11 to book a quarter-final clash with Denmark player Anders Antonsen.

However, Malaysia’s challenge had come to a grinding halt at the China Open as all its players were sent packing in the second round.

Men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong couldn’t finish when leading 14-7 in the first set, ultimately lost to China’s No. 3 seeds Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan 19-21, 22-20, 15-21 in an 85-minute battle.

In men’s singles, Daren Liew fought hard, clawing his way back from 1-8 to tie at 11-11 in the second game before losing to No. 4 seed Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan 15-21, 19-21.

The mixed doubles No. 7 seeds Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying also fizzled out in just 37 minutes to Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti of Indonesia 17-21, 15-21.

Meanwhile, Zhang Beiwen of USA pulled off an improbable upset in the second round, defeating No. 2 seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-18, 21-18 and will now take on the No. 5 seed Carolina Marin of Spain in the last eight.

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