• Kenta Momota lost 21-17, 21-16 to India’s HS Prannoy in the second round of the world championships.
• The 27-year-old looked like a shadow of the player who won 11 badminton titles in 2019.
• His career has been going downhill since he was injured in a car accident two years ago.

Kento Momota, a famous badminton player from Japan, said that his “weak-spirited” loss to India’s HS Prannoy in the second round of the world championships on Wednesday was because he was afraid of failing. He lost 21-17, 21-16.

Number two seed Momota’s career has been going downhill ever since he was badly hurt in a car accident more than two years ago. He limped out of another weak match in Tokyo in front of a stunned crowd.

Momota used to be the undisputed king of badminton, but he looked like a shadow of the player who won a record 11 titles in 2019, and he didn’t hold back when he talked about how he played after the match.

“I was so scared of making mistakes that I shrunk within myself a little and I think that was why I lost,” the crestfallen 27-year-old told reporters.

“I realised that midway through the match, but I couldn’t do anything to fix it. I was weak-spirited and that’s so frustrating.”

Momota hit shot after shot into the net, and world number 18 Prannoy was able to take control of the match early on.

Momota promised to try to get back to where he used to be at the top of badminton, but he said it would take him some time to get over this latest loss.

“I think I used to win titles too easily,” he said.

“It became a matter of course that I would win them, but it’s difficult and some players never win even one.”

“I don’t think at all that I’m not capable of winning titles,” he added.

Prannoy will play his fellow Indian Lakshya Sen in the next round. Sen beat Spain’s Luis Enrique Penalver 21-17, 21-10 to move on.

“I can’t really be happy about what I’ve done because you don’t have time for that,” Prannoy said.

“You have to get ready for what’s to come next tomorrow and hopefully keep getting better.”

Lee Zii Jia, the number five seed from Malaysia, also moved on to the next round by beating Portugal’s Bernardo Atilano 21-9, 21-12.

Lee wants to be the first Malaysian to ever win a world badminton title. After beating Atilano quickly, he said he was “feeling good.”

“I think the real challenge will be tomorrow, and my opponent will be tougher than today,” said the 24-year-old.

“It’s a big challenge for me — I want to be the first to win the world championships from Malaysia. I think everyone has a big chance to win so we will see.”

The defending champion, Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, had to fight off Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon’s fierce comeback in the second game before winning 21-12, 11-21, 21-12.

Number eight seed Loh said he wasn’t worried about being the reigning champion when he went to Tokyo. He said he planned to “treat it like any other tournament.”

“I’m definitely happy on the winning side, always,” he said.

Zhao Junpeng of China beat India’s Kidambi Srikanth, who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, 21-9 and 21-17.

Srikanth, who was the number 12 seed and won silver at last year’s world championships and was part of India’s team that won the Thomas Cup in May, said he “maybe could have played better.”

“He just played well when it really mattered,” said the former world number one.

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