Badminton number one Momota knocked out of Indonesia Open

World badminton number one Kento Momota was knocked out of the Indonesia Open in the round of 16 on Thursday after losing to unseeded Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

Yew beat Momota 21-7, 17-21, 21-19 on the resort island of Bali, where last week the Japanese star claimed the Indonesia Masters title — the first of three back-to-back competitions culminating in the season-ending World Tour Finals.

Momota lost the first game before forcing Yew into a rubber set after winning the second game.

The Japanese player dominated the first half of the third game, but Yew regained control and won to secure a quarter-final spot on Friday.

Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen advanced to the quarter-finals after beating India’s Srikanth Kidambi 21-14 21-18 in a 37-minute game.

Axelsen will meet India’s Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth on Friday, while Yew will play Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus from Denmark.

Badminton World Tour events in Indonesia are usually played in the capital Jakarta, but organisers opted for Bali which has been badly affected by the loss of visitors during the pandemic.

The tournaments are being held without fans in a Covid-secure bubble.