Calgary: The second day of the 2023 Canada Open brought unexpected outcomes as former World No. 1 Kento Momota and several other top Asian men’s singles players suffered surprising first-round eliminations.
In the first round of the tournament, Momota, a two-time former world champion, faced Germany’s Fabian Roth, who is currently ranked 90th in the world. Momota’s recent decline in form was evident as he lost to Roth with a score of 17-21, 16-21. This marks the sixth time in seven tournaments this year that Momota has been knocked out in the first round, and his current world ranking has dropped to 60th.
Highlights of Kento Momota vs. Fabian Roth in the 2023 Canada Open first round:
Reports have previously highlighted Momota’s back injury, raising concerns about his career’s trajectory. The early exit from the Canada Open further emphasizes his diminishing competitiveness on the global badminton stage.
Despite expressing his desire to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Momota’s chances seem increasingly slim with only one successful advancement in seven tournaments this year. While he made it to the semi-finals of the 2023 German Open, he was defeated by China’s Li Shifeng with a score of 11-21, 7-21.
Momota gained prominence in 2019 with his record-breaking 11 championship victories, establishing himself as a dominant force in men’s singles after the era of Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan. However, a series of unfortunate events, including a car accident, a battle with COVID-19, and a severe back injury, have significantly impacted his performance and diminished his once formidable presence on the court.
As for Roth, he will face Li Shi Feng, the reigning All-England Champion, in the second round.
In addition to Momota, another Japanese men’s singles player, Kanta Tsuneyama, ranked 14th in the world, also faced an unexpected exit. Tsuneyama lost to Belgium’s Julien Carraggi, who is ranked 62nd in the world, with a score of 16-21, 21-19, 15-21.
On a more positive note, three other Japanese men’s singles players, Kodai Naraoka (ranked 3rd in the world), Kenta Nishimoto (ranked 11th), and Koki Watanabe (ranked 38th), successfully advanced to the next round.
An exciting match unfolded between rising stars born in 2001 as India’s Lakshya Sen, ranked 19th in the world, emerged victorious against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who is ranked 4th in the world. Sen secured a win with a score of 21-18, 21-15, marking his fourth victory in their nine encounters. Sen will face Ygor Coelho of Brazil in the next round.
Highlights of Lakshya Sen vs. Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the 2023 Canada Open first round:
The Canada Open continues with more thrilling matches, and fans are eagerly anticipating further surprises and exceptional performances from the remaining players.
