Japan's Kento Momota withstood a barrage of smashes from Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting to rally for a thrilling 10-21 21-19 21-13 victory Sunday in the Singapore Open final. The world champion struggled to contain his powerful Indonesian opponent, who was finding both corners of the court in the first half of the match. But the top seed dug deep to fight back from 16-11 behind in the second game to force a decider.
Momota trailed again in the last game as Ginting sought a third straight upset win in as many days. But the left-hander used a combination of improvisation and guile to craft a run of 13 points in 14 to seal a stunning victory with a disguised drop shot on his first match point.
"I felt my opponent played better than me today but I was able to capitalise when he got tired," Momota, who also won the Singapore title in 2015, told reporters. "He tried to push a little too hard in the second game but I kept telling myself to stay patient and never give up." In the women's singles final, Tai Tzu-ying claimed her second Singapore Open title with a 21-19 21-15 victory over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara.