Lee Chong Wei yesterday suffered a shock defeat in the Asia Championships semi-finals, going down in straight sets to rising Japanese star Kento Momota, as Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying reached the women’s finals.
The 35-year-old, fresh from winning Commonwealth Games gold and reaching the end of one of badminton’s great careers, lost 21-19, 21-14 to the unseeded Momota.
The 23-year-old Momota will play China’s Rio 2016 Olympic champion Chen Long in today’s final in Wuhan.
Photo: AFP
Third seed Chen was an emphatic 21-16, 21-18 winner over India’s unseeded H.S. Prannoy in the other semi-final.
In the women’s draw, top seed Tai is to play China’s Chen Yufei in the final.
Tai defeated India’s former world No. 1 Saina Nehwal 27-25, 21-19 in a tight affair over 45 nervy minutes, ensuring a miserable day for India.
Chen Yufei, the sixth seed, was a comfortable 21-12, 21-13 victor over the South Korean seventh seed Sung Ji-hyun in the other semi-final clash.
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