Kento Momota of Japan competes during the men's semifinal match against Chen Long of China at China Open 2019 badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
CHANGZHOU, China, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Kento Momota of Japan strove 87 minutes to eliminate China's Olympic champion Chen Long and reach the men's singles final of the 2019 Badminton China Open here on Saturday.
Momota dominated the game from the beginning of the first set and took the lead 19-15. Chen, however, didn't give up in front of his home fans as he garnered 6 points in a row to reverse the game.
The Japanese then fought back to win a tight second set 21-18 and take the third 21-16.
"Chen is a very powerful player and it was an intense game," said Momota, who went down to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia last year in the China Open final.
"Whoever I play tomorrow in the final, I will try my best to perform well," said Momota.
"Of course we all hoped to win and we both played well," commented the fifth seed Chen, who won five times in their previous eight competitions. "But I won't immerse myself in sorrow. What I should do is to prapare for tomorrow's training, which is more important."
