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Japan’s badminton world primary Kento Momota shrugged off nerves to make a profitable return to competitors in Tokyo Wednesday, almost a yr after struggling critical accidents in a automobile crash. Momota beat Koshiro Moriguchi 21-12, 21-14 within the first spherical of the All-Japan championships, marking his return from the accident that left him fearing his profession is perhaps over after fracturing a watch socket. Momota shall be hoping his comeback leads him all the way in which to Olympic gold at subsequent yr’s coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Games, however the left-hander was joyful simply to be again on the court docket after dispatching his opponent in 36 minutes on Wednesday.
“I had that particular feeling that you get before a match, the kind where you just can’t sit still, and it’s been a while since I felt that,” mentioned Momota, who was badly damage when the car taking him to the airport in January after he gained the Malaysia Masters crashed, killing the motive force.
“I went out onto the court and it really felt like I was back. I enjoyed it.”
Momota started the match with little fuss as he gained the primary 5 factors, however then went on to misjudge a number of baseline pictures from his opponent in an error-strewn opening recreation.
The 26-year-old settled into his rhythm extra within the second recreation, and closed the match out with a convincing smash to ebook his place within the subsequent spherical.
“I missed a lot of shots because of nerves,” he acknowledged.
“My movement and feeling for the shuttle weren’t bad, but I want to cut down on the mistakes in my next match.
“I managed to hurry up the play and land a couple of smashes, however there have been quite a lot of occasions the place I used to be too gradual with my returns. I have to assume extra about how I react to every shot and blend issues up slightly.”
Momota is aiming to win a third straight national title this week in Tokyo, before heading to Thailand in January for the resumption of the badminton world tour.
He is hoping to recapture the form that saw him win a record-breaking 11 titles last year, and believes he will begin to hit his stride now that he has cleared the first hurdle.
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“I used to be nervous as a result of it was the primary match of the All-Japan championships, and it was additionally my first match in a very long time,” said Momota.
“There have been quite a lot of issues that made me really feel uncomfortable, however regardless of all that I used to be in a position to loosen up and play my recreation. I’m proud of that.”
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