Momota Kento.

(Associated Press)

[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report] Japan's former tennis champion Momota Kento lost to China's Shi Yuqi in the first round of the Indonesian Masters. It is still difficult to win this season, but he emphasized after the game that he has no intention of retiring.

Kento Momota had played against Shi Yuqi 8 times in his career before today, gaining a 5-win advantage. The last matchup was the 2021 Thomas Cup Final Four. At that time, Shi Yuqi retired when Momota took a 20:5 lead in the second game. The move also made him banned by the Chinese Badminton Association for nearly a year.

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The two faced off again across the net after more than a year. Kento Momota had fallen from the world champion at the time to the 19th place in the world. Today, he was defeated by 18:21 and 7:21 in less than 40 minutes. Round trip.

After a sluggish 2022, Kento Momota still seems to have not shaken off the gloom, but when he was asked about retirement after the game, he said, "I never said I would retire, and I don't have any retirement plans. Now I just want to retire." Just focus on what's in front of you and try to put in a good performance."

Kento Momota mentioned that there will always be winners and losers in competitions, "The important thing is how to adjust on the psychological level to avoid putting yourself under too much pressure."

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