If not for Momota with his excellent composure and persistence we wouldn't have had this spectacular final match today. We were lucky to have both players in their top form. Off my hat to them both for delivering one of the best MS match of the year. INA Open, hopefully all the top seeds would be in their good form too. Would love to see a rematch between Momota and Ginting. And Minions vs Liu/Zhang
Aaah, INA Open hardly ever be a favorite for home player, usually crumbling to home pressure. And the way some Indonesian player lose this week, it's not encouraging at all, esp MD and XD.
The reason why I rooted for LCW is not only because he's a great player but also because he's from Lin Dan's era which I regard as the Golden Age of badminton that includes Peter Gade, Taufik Hidayat, Lee Hyun Il, and several others as well. It speaks volumes of LD era that his great contemporary , LCW, at age 35 and supposedly over the hill, is still able to beat a 12 years younger Kento Momota in his prime and on the rise again for superstardom. Lest we forget, en route to the final, LCW also eliminated the reigning world champion and current WR1, Viktor Axelsen. And to a lesser extent,I should made special mention of another LD era player, 30-yr-old Tommy Sugiarto, who overcame the likes of Shi Yuqi, esp, and Kantaphon Wangcharoen, two young and very promising talents, before he was stopped by none other than LCW.
From last year results in Indonesia, I am sure there will be quite a few big names going out early. The Indo bomohs are working on it. So far this year, the only 独孤求败( "Loner Who Seeks Defeat".) is TTY.
Jaw dropping match, I couldn't quite continue eating my bag of chips! When Momota has that mindblown look you know it was that good!
I was cheering a bit for LCW as well because of his kids that were watching. They deserve to see their legendary daddy win. I wonder if it is what motivated him to put on what was one of the best performances I've ever seen from him.
What an exceptional player LCW is! The way he keeps reinventing his game to tackle younger chaps like VA, SK and KM is what makes him a legendary material. Take a bow champion! As you say, “Form is temporary, class is permanent” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That was probably how I looked watching the match. Nearly fell of the railings! Chips had to be finished at home. I was a bit worried about Chong Wei's form when he made quite a number of wrong calls and errors against Tommy. I didn't think they would've been forgiven with Momota. Also, stamina wise I felt that time was not waiting for LCW - since both players liked rallies, that was going to suit Momota. It appears that CW held back a lot of energy though. In the match with Tommy the first few smashes were already above 400km/h but in this match he was clearly not going for a direct winner. It was sublime, especially when you have two players who are so good at the net/setting up for attack. Skill against skill, inch by inch. Badminton won today but I am so happy that the old man prevailed.
Chong Wei was definitely feeling the pace at that 2nd set. Luckily he pulled the match out of the bag.
