Kento Momota and Ratchanok Intanon are New Singles Champions of BCA Indonesian BWF Super-series Premier

In what transpired to be fateful tournament for top-ranked badminton stars, the BCA Indonesia Open threw up some new champions on the final day. In the course of one week, the tournament saw major world stars falling like nine-pins and Jan O Jorgensen, who was the lone survivor until Saturday, also fell on last day to Japan’s Kento Momota. The undaunted Japanese played superbly against the 2014 champion and emerged as men’s singles winner at the prestigious 2015 Super-series Premier Championship at Jakarta. After two games were level, Momota ran through in the decider with deft touches, change of pace, sliced volleys and powerful smashes to leave the third-seeded Dane stranded as he went down. Thailand’s Ratchnok Intanon was no less mercurial on the women’s side in justifying her stupendous run through the event. In the final against Japan’s Yui Hashimoto, Intanon played commandingly and lifted the women’s singles crown. The men’s doubles trophy was won by Korea’s World champions, Ko Sung Hyun/Shin Baek Choel, who outlasted the Chinese duo of Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan. The Chinese, however, won in the two remaining categories of women’s doubles and mixed doubles. In women’s doubles the Chinese combo of Tian Qing/Tang Jinhua caused heartbreak for home supporters as the Chinese pair defeated Indonesia’s Krishinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii. Mixed doubles was destined to go to China since it was an all-Chinese affair anyway. Xu Chen/Ma Jin took the trophy by a rare win over Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei.

The mercurial Momota, who survived a scare in Saturday’s semifinal with India’s Parupalli Kashyap, was in his elements against Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen. The Japanese produced a majestic performance in the final to deny Jorgensen a second straight men’s singles title in displaying superb temperament and game full of skills beyond his 20 years. The Japanese lost the first game 16-21 but bounced back solidly afterwards. Playing purposefully in the second game, Momota seized a 10-5 lead with his tenacity against the European. At this point, Jorgensen froze Momota by reeling off eight points in a row to make the score 13-10 in his favor. The balance tilted in Jorgensen’s favor but as suddenly as he had lost the focus, the Japanese was back again. He fought hard and forced the decider by taking the second game 21-19. In the final game, it was Momota all over. Showing his true touch and fearless shot-making, the Japanese opened up a 16-6 lead against the Dane. Now Jorgensen looked for a miracle that could save him but the Japanese plundered on and earned his match point by a classy round-the-head winner. Jorgensen hit a shot wide as confirmed by the Hawk-Eye and Kento Momota became the men’s singles champion.

Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, who finished runner-up in 2014, made up for her loss with supreme command in the final. The force of Intanon’s game was too much for the Japanese Yui Hashimoto, who kept looking for options against the rampaging Thai woman. After Intanon took the first game 21-11, the outcome of the match was never in doubt. Hashimoto couldn’t cope with the firepower of Intanon, who claimed the women’s singles title with a commanding 21-11, 21-10 win.

The men’s doubles title was won by Korean duo of Ko Sung Hyun/Shin Baek Choel, who managed to set aside a fierce assault by China’s Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan. The Koreans took the first game but the Chinese forced the decider by taking the second with the same margin. In the third game, it was a neck-to-neck battle but the tenacious Koreans emerged winners at 21-16, 16-21, 21-19. The women’s doubles final was a bit of disappointment to Indonesians as their players lost against China. Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii had a marvelous run through the tournament but in the final they lost tamely to the Chinese pair of Tian Qing/Tang Jinhua. China had won the women’s doubles in 2014 too and they did it yet again with a 21-11 21-10 result over Maheswari/Polii. China also savored the mixed doubles glory since it was an all-China affair. The pair of Xu Chen/Ma Jin defeated the more fancied combo of Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei 21-17, 21-17 to bring the curtains down on the 2015 BCA Indonesia Open.