Momota off to a flying start
World badminton champion Kento Momota made a lightning start at the BWF World Tour Finals in China yesterday, rampaging past India's overwhelmed Sameer Verma in just 36 minutes.
The Japanese star is looking to put the seal on a breakthrough year in which he has risen to No. 1 in the rankings and become world champion for the first time.
It is all a far cry from 2016, when Momota was expelled from Japan's team for the Rio Olympics and banned for more than a year for visiting an illegal casino.
The 24-year-old had too much quality and power for Verma - ranked 14th in the world - thrashing him 21-18, 21-6 to confirm his status as the man to beat in Guangzhou. Momota will take on Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen today.
Also untroubled in her opener was the women's No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying from Taiwan, who defeated Zhang Beiwen of the United States 21-15, 21-17 in 30 minutes. - AFP
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