SCOREBOARD: Amazing 10th seasonal title for Kento Momota in Fuzhou China Open

A 10th season title for Japan's Kento Momota (Photo: BWF)

Highlights and results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● ARCHERY ● Korea sweeps Recurve titles at World Indoor Series opener in Macau

The World Archery Indoor World Series in Macau opened with a traditional result in the Recurve (Olympic) division, with Korean wins.

In two all-Korean finals, Dusol Ko defeated Jongyoung Lee, 6-2, in the men’s final and Seon Jin Park won over Siyeon Ha, 6-4. Korean archers also finished fourth in the men’s division and third in the women’s standings!

But the most remarkable performance came in the men’s Compound competition. The 2018 World Indoor Champion, Mike Schloesser (NED) shot a perfect round – 60 10s in 60 shots – in the qualifying round, then won his first four elimination matches with perfect scores of 150 each for another 60 in a row entering the final vs. American star Kris Schaff.

Schloesser shot six more 10s in a row – 126 in all – before a nine. Schaff took advantage and as Schloesser ended with two more nines, Schaff shot 148 to edge the Dutchman, 148-147 for the title. Finals:

World Archery Indoor World Series/Macau Open
Macau (CHN) ~ 9-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Recurve: Dusol Ko (KOR) d. Jongyoung Lee (KOR), 6-2. Women/Recurve: Seon Jin Park (KOR) d. Siyeon Ha (KOR), 6-4.

Men/Compound: Kris Schaff (USA) d. Mike Schloesser (NED), 148-147. Women/Compound: Andrea Robles (PHI) d. Paige Pearce (USA), 141-35.

● BADMINTON ● Momota wins 10th, Chen wins fifth title of season at Fuzhou China Open

Two amazing seasons continued as Japan’s Kento Momota and China’s Yufei Chen both won the Singles titles at the Fuzhou China Open on Sunday.

No. 1-ranked Momota won his 10th Singles title of the season with a 21-15, 17-21, 21-18 victory over no. 2-ranked Tien Chen Chou in the final, to defend his 2018 title in this event. With his 10th win, this is the most ever in a single season of the BWF SuperSeries – inaugurated in 2007 – or the BWF World Tour, which began in 2018. The old best was nine by Chinese star Ling Gao, who won nine titles in women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles in 2007. Momota already had the men’s Singles record; Chong Wei Lee (MAS) had won seven men’s Singles titles in 2013.

Meanwhile, China’s Yufei Chen, ranked no. 3, came from behind to defeat top-ranked Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) for her fifth title of the season, and also defended her title from last season.

In the Doubles events, no. 1-ranked Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo also defended their 2018 win, this time against Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda (JPN) and no. 3 Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota won in straight sets vs. no. 5 So Hee Lee and Seung Chan Shin (KOR), 21-17, 21-15. The top-ranked Mixed Doubles team of Siwei Zheng and Yaqiong Huang were upset by no. 2 Yilyu Wang and Dongping Huang – both from China – in straight sets.Summaries:

BWF World Tour/Fuzhou China Open
Fuzhou (CHN) ~ 5-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Singles: Kento Momota (JPN) d. Tien Chen Chou (TPE), 21-15, 17-21, 21-18. Men/Doubles: Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA) d. Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda (JPN), 21-17, 21-9.

Women/Singles: Yufei Chen (CHN) d. Nozomi Okuhara (JPN), 9-21, 21-12, 21-18. Women/Doubles: Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (JPN) d. So Hee Lee/Seung Chan Shin (KOR), 21-17, 21-15.

Mixed Doubles: Yilyu Wang/Dongping Huang (CHN) d. Siwei Zheng/Yaqiong Huang (CHN), 21-14, 21-13.

● CURLING ● Jacobs and Hasselborg earn first GSOC wins in Team Challenge

Last week’s surprise results, featuring first-time winners in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling, were a memory after the Tour Challenge in Pictou County, Nova Scotia in Canada, as two stars came forward with wins in the second tournament of the 2019-20 season.

Canadian Brad Jacobs’ rink – he of the 2014 Olympic title in Sochi – won a tight battle with 2017 World Champion Brad Gushue (CAN) in the men’s final, 6-4, coming from behind with three points in the seventh end to take the lead. He added one more in the final end for the 6-4 final.

The women’s 2018 Olympic champ, Anna Hasselborg of Sweden, won the women’s tourney over Canada’s Kerri Einarson, 8-5. The key was two ends with three points each, in ends three and six, while Einarson’s squad managed two points each in ends two and seven and that was the difference. Summaries:

Grand Slam of Curling/Tour Challenge
Pictou County (CAN) ~ 5-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men: 1. Brad Jacobs (CAN); 2. Brad Gushue (CAN); 3. Kevin Koe (CAN) and Brendan Bottcher (CAN). Final: Jacobs d. Gushue, 6-4.

Women: 1. Anna Hasselborg (SWE); 2. Kerri Einarson (CAN); 3. Satsuki Fujisawa (JPN) and Nina Roth (USA). Final: Hasselborg d. Einarson, 8-5.

● FENCING ● Mertine wins men’s Foil in Bonn; U.S. men win team title

A good weekend for the U.S. at the FIE World Cup season opener for men, as Gerek Meinhardt win the silver medal in the men’s individual Foil and the Americans took the team title.

France’s Julien Mertine, 31, won his fifth career World Cup medal – and second win – in the final against Meinhardt, 15-9. It’s the second win of the year for the Frenchman, who also won at the Anaheim Grand Prix back in March.

It was a modest upset, as Mertine came in ranked 13th worldwide and Meinhardt was fifth. For Meinhardt, it was his eighth World Cup medal and second career silver (0-2-6).

His U.S. teammates, however, scored the win in the team event. Race Imboden, Alexander Massialas and Nick Itkin were strong in all four rounds, winning 45-28 over Denmark, 45-3 vs. Germany and then 45-42 over Russia. In the final, the trio had no trouble with Korea, winning 45-31. Summaries:

FIE World Cup/Lowe von Bonn
Bonn (GER) ~ 8-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men/Foil: 1. Julien Mertine (FRA); 2. Gerek Meinhardt (USA); 3. Andrea Cassara (ITA) and Alessio Foconi (ITA). Final: Mertine d. Meinhardt, 15-9.

Men/Team Foil: 1. United States (Race Imboden, Alexander Massialas, Nick Itkin
2. Korea; 3. Russia; 4. Italy. Third: Russia d. Italy, 45-40. Final: U.S. d. Korea, 45-31.

● SHORT TRACK ● Boutin wins two at home in Montreal World Cup

Canada’s Kim Boutin set the Short Track on fire last week with a world record of 41.936 in the 500 m at the World Cup opener, so she was the headliner at the second World Cup in Montreal (CAN).

She delivered with two wins, in the 500 m and the first of two 1,000 m races. She won the longer race decisively over Whi Min Seo (KOR), 1:30.827-1:31.268 on Saturday. On Sunday, she managed a very tight 42.568-42.659 win over the winner of one of last week’s 500 m races, Italy’s Martina Valcepina.

Koreans won three other events, with Dae Heon Hwang taking the men’s 1,000 m and Ji Won Park winning the men’s 1,500 m. Ji Yoo Kim won the women’s 1,500 m. Summaries:

ISU Short Track World Cup
Montreal (CAN) ~ 8-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men: 500 m: Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN), 40.995. 1,000 m: Dae Heon Hwang (KOR), 1:26.553. 1,000 m II: Semen Elistratov (RUS), 1:29.275. 1,500 m: Ji Won Park (KOR), 2:26.025. 5,000 m Relay: Hungary (Burjan, Krueger, Liu, Liu), 6:55.968.

Women: 500 m: Kim Boutin (CAN), 42.568. 1,000 m I: Kim Boutin (CAN), 1:30.827. 1,000 m II: Yu Tong Han (CHN), 1:30.712. 1,500 m: Ji Yoo Kim (KOR), 2:36.255. 3,000 m Relay: China (Fan, Qu, Zang, Zhang), 4:09.184.

Mixed: 2,000 m Relay: China (Han, Qu, Ren, Zhang), 2:40.246.