AFP, Tokyo :
Kento Momota defeated first seed Viktor Axelsen to secure a Japan Open final berth on Saturday, with the reigning world champion dominating an aggressive game 21-18, 21-11.
Momota’s victory over the 24-year-old Danish giant will see him square off on Sunday against Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab, who beat South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun 21-12, 21-16.
“It was really tough to endure a long rally while paying attention to sharp shots from Axelsen,” Momota told TV Asahi after the match.
“I think I could win because I was able to chase the shuttlecock aggressively until the last minute,” he added.
Momota last month became the first Japanese man to win the badminton World Championships, putting behind him a gambling scandal that threatened to ruin his career.
The 24-year-old was engulfed by controversy in 2016 when Japanese badminton chiefs suspended him for more than a year for visiting an illegal casino, denying him a place at the Rio Olympics.
