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Kento Momota

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Kento Momota
Momota at the 2019 German Open
Personal information
CountryJapan
Born (1994-09-01) 1 September 1994 (age 30)
Mino, Kagawa, Japan
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Retired6 May 2024
HandednessLeft
CoachYousuke Nakanishi
Men's singles
Career record388 wins, 111 losses
Highest ranking1 (27 September 2018)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Nanjing Men's singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Basel Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Jakarta Men's singles
Sudirman Cup
Silver medal – second place 2015 Dongguan Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Nanning Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Gold medal – first place 2014 New Delhi Men's team
Silver medal – second place 2018 Bangkok Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Aarhus Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Bangkok Men's team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Men's team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Wuhan Men's singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Wuhan Men's singles
Asia Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 Hyderabad Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Selangor Men's team
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Chiba Boys' singles
Silver medal – second place 2012 Chiba Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Taipei Boys' singles
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Gimcheon Boys' singles
Gold medal – first place 2012 Gimcheon Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Lucknow Boys' singles
BWF profile

Kento Momota (桃田 賢斗, Momota Kento; born 1 September 1994) is a former Japanese badminton player.[1] He has won several major badminton tournaments including becoming a two time World Champion, becoming a two time Asian Champion, and winning one All England title. Momota received a Guinness World Records certificate for "The most badminton men's singles titles in a season", for winning 11 titles in the 2019 season.[2]

Known for his unpredictable and explosive playing style, he became the first ever Japanese men's singles player to achieve a BWF ranking of No.1 in 2018, holding this distinction for 121 weeks and subsequently being awarded the BWF's best male player of the year award.[3][4] He is considered to be one of the greats of men's singles badminton.[5]

Early life and career

[edit]

Kento Momota was born on 1 September 1994, in Mino, Kagawa, Japan, to Nobuhiro and Michiyo Momota.[6] His parents named him "Kento" after Clark Kent, the alter ego of the American comic book hero Superman, hoping he would become the strongest person in the world.[7][8] He began playing badminton at the age of seven, influenced by his older sister, Meiko. Though his parents were inexperienced in badminton, his father, Nobuhiro, was dedicated to his son's development, studying the sport and building a homemade court for practice.[9]

In 2007, as a sixth-grader, Momota won the All Japan Elementary School Badminton Championship. This national victory prompted him to seek more advanced training, leading to a move to Fukushima Prefecture to attend Tomioka Daiichi Junior High School, an institution known for its strong badminton program. While there, he continued to excel, winning the National Junior High School Badminton Tournament in August 2009. Momota also became the first junior high student to reach the semifinals of the All Japan Junior Championships, a tournament that included high school players.[10][9]

After finishing junior high, Momota enrolled at Tomioka High School, where he continued to develop his skills under the guidance of coaches such as Indonesian Imam Tohari.[11] In 2012, he won gold medals at the Asian Junior Championships and the World Junior Championships, becoming the first Japanese male to claim the world junior title.[7][8] By high school graduation, he achieved a world ranking of No. 50 and turned professional in 2013 by joining the NTT East badminton team.

Career

[edit]

2011

[edit]

Momota competed in both junior and senior international tournaments in 2011. At the junior level, he won bronze medals at the World Junior Championships held in Taipei, Taiwan and the Asian Junior Championships held in Lucknow, India.[12] He then transitioned to the senior circuit by entering higher-tier BWF tournaments. He made his Super Series debut at the Japan Open, and competed in the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold and the Canada Open Grand Prix, though he lost in the early rounds. Domestically, Momota concluded the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the All Japan Badminton Championships, where he lost to Kenichi Tago.[13]

2012

[edit]

Momota capped off his historic junior career in 2012 while continuing to gain experience on the senior circuit. At the Asian Junior Championships held in Gimcheon, South Korea, he won gold medals in the boys' singles and the mixed team event. Later that year, Momota made history at the World Junior Championships held in Chiba, Japan, by becoming the first Japanese male player to win the boys' singles title; he also contributed to Japan's mixed team silver medal.[14][15]

On the senior circuit, Momota reached the quarterfinals at the Vietnam Open Grand Prix, placed third at the Osaka International, and advanced to the third round in his Asian Championships debut. He competed in several Super Series and Grand Prix Gold tournaments but exited in the early rounds. By the end of the year, his world ranking reached No. 90.

2013

[edit]

In 2013, Momota graduated from high school and turned professional by joining the NTT East badminton team. He began the year by winning three consecutive International Challenge titles in Europe: the Estonian International, the Swedish International, and the Austrian International. In November, he reached his first Super Series Premier semifinal at the China Open. He also advanced to the semifinals at the U.S. Open and the quarterfinals at the Singapore Open and China Masters. Domestically, he was a semifinalist at the All Japan Badminton Championships in December. By the end of 2013, his world ranking had climbed to No. 17.

2014

[edit]

In May 2014, 19-year-old Kento Momota played a pivotal role in Japan's historic first Thomas Cup victory in New Delhi. He was undefeated throughout the tournament, winning all five of his matches, which included crucial victories over Du Pengyu of China in the semifinal and Chong Wei Feng of Malaysia in the final.[16][17] On the individual circuit, Momota's best result was reaching the semifinal of the French Open Super Series, where he was defeated by China's Wang Zhengming. He also reached the quarterfinals at the All England Open, the China Open, and the Australian Open. In August, he made his World Championships debut in Copenhagen but exited in the first round. The following month, at the Asian Games in Incheon, he advanced to the third round of the men's singles before losing to Chen Long of China, the eventual gold medalist. Momota concluded his season by qualifying for the BWF Super Series Finals in Dubai, where he was eliminated in the round-robin stage.

2015

[edit]

In 2015, he became the first Japanese player to win the Singapore Open. By winning that title, he became the first Japanese player to successfully capture a Superseries in the men's singles and holds the record as the youngest Super Series champion in that category. In the 2015 Sudirman Cup, he repeated his Thomas Cup feat to help Japan secure a runner-up position. He once again made history at the 2015 BWF World Championships held in Jakarta. He became the first Japanese player to win a medal in the men's singles event of the prestigious tournament. He made it to the semi-finals before losing to Chen Long in straight games. Rounding off the year, he won the 2015 BWF World Superseries Finals in Dubai. He also competed at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, as well as the 2016 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad, India.

2018

[edit]

Momota returned to the Japanese national team at the end of 2017. However, due to insufficient ranking points, he did not qualify to play in the 2018 All England Open, a significant Super 1000 tournament held in March.[18] On 28 April, he won the 2018 Asian Championships held in Wuhan, defeating Chen Long of China in the final, 21–17, 21–13.

On 5 August, he won the World Championships title in Nanjing, China, beating Shi Yuqi from China in the final, 21–11, 21–13. He also won 4 BWF World Tour titles: Indonesia Open, Japan Open, Denmark Open and Fuzhou China Open. Momota became the first Japanese men's singles player to reach World number 1 in the BWF World rankings on 27 September 2018.[19]

2019

[edit]

Momota started the 2019 season by competing at the Malaysia Masters as the first seed, but his run was stopped by Kenta Nishimoto in the first round.[20] He then reached the final of the Indonesia Masters but lost to Anders Antonsen of Denmark.[21] Momota claimed his first title in 2019 by winning the German Open, a Super 300 tournament.[22] In March 2019, he won the All England Open, beating Viktor Axelsen from Denmark in the final in 3 games (21–11, 15–21, 21–15), becoming the first Japanese man to win the All England Open title.[23]

In April, Momota won his second Asian Championships title in Wuhan, China, beating home favorite Shi Yuqi in three games: 12–21, 21–18, 21–8.[24] He also won the Singapore and Japan Open titles. In August, he reclaimed his World Champion title, beating Anders Antonsen 21–9 and 21–3. In doing so, Momota became only the fourth player to win back-to-back titles, joining a short, all-Chinese list that includes Yang Yang, Lin Dan and Chen Long.[25] After that, he won his first title at the China Open and Korea Open, also defending his titles at the Denmark Open and Fuzhou China Open.[26]

Momota closed his stellar 2019 year by winning his 11th title, the World Tour Finals, beating Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 17–21, 21–17, 21–14.[27] Previously, at the gala dinner of the same event, he was awarded BWF Best Male Player of the Year.[28] He was also nominated as Best Male Athlete by the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive.[29]

2020

[edit]

Momota began the 2020 season as the men's singles world number 1. He competed at the Malaysia Masters as the first seed, defeating Indian's Kashyap Parupalli and H. S. Prannoy in the first and second round in straight games, later beating Huang Yuxiang in the quarter-finals in three games.[30] In the semi-final, he dashed the host nation's hopes by defeating Lee Zii Jia 21–10, 21–19.[31] Despite not being at his physical best, Momota pulled off a good performance to beat the 2017 World Champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 24–22, 21–11 in the final. He extended his head-to-head record over Axelsen to 14–1.[32] After winning the Malaysia Masters, Momota was involved in a serious highway accident while en route to the airport; the driver of the vehicle was killed. He was initially reported to have suffered a broken nose and injuries to his lips and face.[33] However, the Nippon Badminton Association later confirmed that he did not sustain any bone fractures.[34]

2021

[edit]

In January, Momota tested positive for COVID-19 prior to travelling to Bangkok. As a result, the entire Japanese team withdrew from the three tournaments scheduled to occur that month in Thailand: the Yonex Thailand Open, Toyota Thailand Open, and World Tour Finals.[35] In March, Momota made a comeback to international competition from injury at the All England Open. Seeded first, he was beaten by Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the quarter-finals in straight games.[36]

During 2020 Summer Olympics, again playing as the top seed, Momota was knocked out in the group stage after losing to the unseeded South Korean Heo Kwang-hee.[37] In September–October, Momota, alongside the Japanese team, competed at the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland. He helped the team reach the final, but Japan was defeated by China 1–3.[38] At the Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark, Momota alongside Japanese team, won the bronze medal. The team was defeated by China in the semi-finals with a score of 1–3.[39]

In October, he took part in the Denmark Open and finished in 2nd place to Viktor Axelsen in three games (22–20, 18–21, 12–21), in a match lasting an hour and thirty-three minutes.[40]

In November, Momota won his first title since his injury, the Indonesia Masters, defeating Anders Antonsen in straight games (21–17, 21–11) in a seemingly one-sided final.[41]

2022

[edit]

Momota had a rough start to the 2022 season. Post-injury recovery, besides slipping to number 2 in the world rankings, he did not perform up to his pre-injury level. In the opening season, he participated in three tournaments: the All England Open, German Open and the Asia Championships. In the All England Open, he was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Malaysian Lee Zii Jia with score 7–21, 21–13, 11–21.[42] In the German Open, he was knocked out in the first round by his Japanese compatriot Kenta Nishimoto, 21–23, 9–21.[43] At the Asia Championships, he was defeated in the first round by Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in three games: 21–17, 17–21, 7–21.[44]

In the first round of the Thailand Open, he was eliminated by Zhao Junpeng, 8–21, 11–21.[45]

At the first round of the Indonesia Open, he was knocked out in the first round by the 13th-ranked Rasmus Gemke from Denmark, 19–21, 21–19, 14–21. After the match, Momota stated that he was "disappointed" because he made so many mistakes and that he "would do much more practice to get a better result for the next tournament".[46]

At the Malaysia Open, Momota made it through to his first final since winning the 2021 Indonesia Masters Super 750 event in November. He received 2 walkovers: one against Kantaphon Wangcharoen and another when his opponent, Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, retired mid-match due to injury. In the final, Momota was beaten quickly by Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, losing 4–21, 7–21 in just 34 minutes.[47] After the match, Momota told reporters that Axelsen's "level" was higher than he expected, and that despite the loss, he was "very happy to be back here after all the difficult times" he had been through, adding that he "might be getting closer to the answer" he was looking for.[48][49]

In the following week, Momota lost in the round of 16 at the Malaysia Masters to compatriot Kanta Tsuneyama, 16–21, 15–21, in a match lasting 50 minutes.[50]

In late August, playing in his home country, Momota took part in the World Championships as the 2nd seed. He was upset by the unseeded Prannoy H. S. in the round of 32, losing 17–21, 16–21 in straight games.[51]

2024

[edit]

On the 18th April, Momota announced his retirement from the Japanese national team, with the 2024 Thomas Cup being his last international tournament, finishing off his career with 3 wins. [52]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Year Category Result Ref.
BWF Awards 2018 Male Player of the Year Nominated [53]
2019 Won [54]

Achievements

[edit]

BWF World Championships

[edit]

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2015 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia China Chen Long 9–21, 15–21 Bronze Bronze
2018 Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China China Shi Yuqi 21–11, 21–13 Gold Gold
2019 St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland Denmark Anders Antonsen 21–9, 21–3 Gold Gold [25]

Asian Championships

[edit]

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China China Chen Long 21–17, 21–13 Gold Gold
2019 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China China Shi Yuqi 12–21, 21–18, 21–8 Gold Gold [24]

BWF World Junior Championships

[edit]

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2011 Taoyuan Arena, Taoyuan City, Taipei, Taiwan Malaysia Zulfadli Zulkiffli 18–21, 18–21 Bronze Bronze
2012 Chiba Port Arena, Chiba, Japan China Xue Song 21–17, 19–21, 21–19 Gold Gold

Asian Junior Championships

[edit]

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2011 Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, Lucknow, India Malaysia Zulfadli Zulkiffli 18–21, 19–21 Bronze Bronze
2012 Gimcheon Indoor Stadium, Gimcheon, South Korea Malaysia Soong Joo Ven 21–13, 22–20 Gold Gold

BWF World Tour (16 titles, 6 runners-up)

[edit]

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[55] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[56]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result
2018 Malaysia Open Super 750 Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 17–21, 21–23 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2018 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–14, 21–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 Japan Open Super 750 Thailand Khosit Phetpradab 21–14, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 China Open Super 1000 Indonesia Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21–23, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2018 Denmark Open Super 750 Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 22–20, 16–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 Fuzhou China Open Super 750 Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 21–13, 11–21, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals China Shi Yuqi 12–21, 11–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2019 Indonesia Masters Super 500 Denmark Anders Antonsen 16–21, 21–14, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2019 German Open Super 300 Japan Kenta Nishimoto 21–10, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 All England Open Super 1000 Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–11, 15–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Singapore Open Super 500 Indonesia Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 10–21, 21–19, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Japan Open Super 750 Indonesia Jonatan Christie 21–16, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 China Open Super 1000 Indonesia Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 19–21, 21–17, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Korea Open Super 500 Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 21–19, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Denmark Open Super 750 China Chen Long 21–14, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Fuzhou China Open Super 750 Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 21–15, 17–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Indonesia Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 17–21, 21–17, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2020 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Denmark Viktor Axelsen 24–22, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2021 Denmark Open Super 1000 Denmark Viktor Axelsen 22–20, 18–21, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2021 Indonesia Masters Super 750 Denmark Anders Antonsen 21–17, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2022 Malaysia Open Super 750 Denmark Viktor Axelsen 4–21, 7–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2023 Korea Masters Super 300 Japan Koki Watanabe 21–16, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

BWF Superseries (4 titles)

[edit]

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[57] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[58] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2015 Singapore Open Hong Kong Hu Yun 21–17, 16–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Indonesia Open Denmark Jan Ø. Jørgensen 16–21, 21–19, 21–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Dubai World Superseries Finals Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–15, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2016 India Open Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–15, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Superseries Finals tournament
  BWF Superseries Premier tournament
  BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

[edit]

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2017 Canada Open Japan Kanta Tsuneyama 20–22, 21–14, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2017 Dutch Open Japan Yu Igarashi 21–10, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 Macau Open Indonesia Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21–16, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (7 titles)

[edit]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2013 Estonian International Finland Eetu Heino 20–22, 21–15, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2013 Swedish Masters Netherlands Eric Pang 21–9, 16–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2013 Austrian International Japan Riichi Takeshita 21–19, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 Yonex / K&D Graphics International Guatemala Kevin Cordón 21–7, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 Belgian International Hong Kong Lee Cheuk Yiu 21–14, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 Czech Open France Thomas Rouxel 21–8, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2018 Vietnam International Malaysia Goh Giap Chin 21–9, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

Gambling scandal

[edit]

On 7 April 2016, Momota admitted visiting an illegal casino in Tokyo after casino staff reported him gambling there "frequently". In a board meeting, it was revealed that he gambled away 0.5 million yen during 6 visits to the casino with his teammate, Kenichi Tago, who spent 10 million yen after 60 visits to various casinos.[59][60] The Nippon Badminton Association secretary general Kinji Zeniya said it would “probably be impossible” for Momota to participate in the Rio 2016 Olympics, with frequent gambling being punishable by law with a prison sentence of up to 3 years.[61][62][63] He was banned from playing until late 2017 for this.

Career overview

[edit]

Performance timeline

[edit]
Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

[edit]
  • Junior level
Team events 2010 2011 2012
Asian Junior Championships RR QF G
World Junior Championships 5th 5th S
  • Senior level
Team events 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Ref
Asian Championships NH S NH QF NH A NH A NH B
Asian Games QF NH B NH A NH
Thomas Cup G NH A NH S NH B NH B NH QF [39][64]
Sudirman Cup NH S NH A NH S NH S NH A NH [38]

Individual competitions

[edit]

Junior level

[edit]
  • Boys' singles
Event 2010 2011 2012
Asian Junior Championships 4R B G
World Junior Championships 3R B G
  • Boys' doubles
Event 2010 2011
Asian Junior Championships 2R 2R
World Junior Championships A 3R
  • Mixed doubles
Event 2010 2011
Asian Junior Championships A 2R
World Junior Championships 2R A

Senior level

[edit]
Events 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Ref
Asian Championships 3R 2R 1R w/d w/d A G G NH 1R [24][44]
Asian Games NH 3R NH 3R NH A
World Championships NH DNQ 1R B NH DNQ G G NH w/d 2R [25][51]
Olympic Games DNQ NH DNQ NH RR NH [37]
Tournament BWF Superseries / Grand Prix BWF World Tour Best Ref
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Malaysia Open A QF QF 2R A F 2R NH F A F ('18, '22) [47]
India Open A 1R 1R 2R W A NH A 1R A W ('16)
Indonesia Masters A 1R A NH A F w/d W A 1R Q1 W ('21) [21][41]
German Open A 2R 3R w/d A QF W NH 1R SF A W ('19) [22][43]
French Open A 1R SF 2R A SF QF NH SF w/d A SF ('14, '18, '21)
All England Open A QF QF QF A W A QF QF 1R A W ('19) [23][36][42]
Swiss Open A QF A NH A QF ('18)
Thailand Open NH A NH A w/d w/d NH 1R A Ret. 1R ('22) [45]
w/d
Malaysia Masters A 2R A 1R W NH 2R 1R W ('20) [20][32][50]
Singapore Open A QF 1R W w/d A W NH A W ('15, '19)
Indonesia Open A 1R W A W 2R NH 2R 1R 1R W ('15, '18) [46]
Australian Open A 3R QF 2R A NH A 1R QF ('14)
U.S. Open A SF A NH A SF ('13)
Canada Open A 2R 3R w/d A F A NH A 1R F ('17)
Japan Open A 2R 1R 2R A W W NH 1R 1R W ('18, '19)
Korea Open A 2R SF A QF W NH A 2R W ('19)
Vietnam Open A QF A NH A QF ('12)
Hong Kong Open A 1R 1R 2R A SF w/d NH A SF ('18)
China Open A 1R SF QF 2R A F W NH A W ('19)
Denmark Open A 1R 2R QF A W W w/d F w/d A W ('18, '19) [26][40]
Korea Masters 2R A NH A W W ('23)
Japan Masters NH QF QF ('23)
China Masters A QF A W W NH A W ('18, '19)
BWF Superseries /
World Tour Finals 		DNQ RR W DNQ F W DNQ RR DNQ W ('15, '19) [27]
Dutch Open A W A NH N/A W ('17)
Macau Open A 2R 1R 2R A W A NH W ('17)
Year-end ranking 90 17 13 3 — 48 1 1 1 2 18 38 — 1
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Best Ref

Record against selected opponents

[edit]

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 7 May 2024.[65]

Equipment

[edit]

Known Rackets Used

[edit]
  • Yonex Arcsaber Z Slash (Early Years)
  • Yonex Voltric Z Force (2012 - 2014)
  • Yonex Voltric Z Force II (2014 - 2016)
  • Yonex Duora Z Strike (2017)
  • Yonex Astrox 88D [Red/Green] (2018)
  • Yonex Astrox 99 (2018 - 2021)
  • Yonex Astrox 99 Pro (2021 - 2023)
  • Yonex Astrox 77 Pro (2023 - 2024)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Mckirdy, Andrew (18 April 2024). "Former No. 1 Kento Momota retires from international badminton at 29". The Japan Times. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ^ Goh, ZK (18 November 2020). "Momota Kento recognised by Guinness World Records". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Momota Kento". olympics. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Kento Momota". yonex. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  5. ^ Naik, Shivani. "Kento Momota, the great badminton star retires: Top Indians could only beat him 7 times out of 42 games". IndianExpress. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  6. ^ Wanjiru, Ann (18 May 2021). "Kento Momota, the world's best badminton player". Sports Leo. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Kento Momota | Profile" (in Japanese). J Sports. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Kento Momota is the world's best, his name comes from 'Superman'" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Kento Momota | Profile" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Momota Kento Biography". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Kento Momota learns the basics from Indonesian junior and senior high school coach, Imam" (in Japanese). The Daily Jakarta Shimbun. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Momota and Okuhara win bronze medals at World Junior Championships" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 5 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Results: All Japan Badminton Championships 2011" (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  14. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (4 November 2012). "Japan Holds Court at Home With Singles Success". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
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