Japan beat Malaysia to win Thomas Cup

NEW DELHI: There have been many firsts in this year's LiNing BWF Thomas and Uber Cup. India earning the bronze in Uber Cup and France making the Thomas Cup quarters are just two that made the weeklong shuttle festival at the Siri Fort Complex so exciting.
The best was saved for the last? Japan defied all the odds and pre-tournament predictions to carve their name in history winning their first Thomas Cup, getting the better of Lee Chong Wei's Malaysia 3-2 on Sunday.It was their first final appearance, too.
Sadly for Malaysia, another silver medal was added to the array of second-best finishes to world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei's cabinet. He did not lose one single match over the week but it wasn't enough to end Malaysia's 22-year long wait for a Thomas Cup.
Chong Wei's wait for a gold medal in the premier badminton events gets prolonged. Two silvers in the Olympics and world championships and one in the Asian Games will not erase the harsh fact.
At times, one feels bad for Chong Wei for the sheer number of second-place finishes he has had to endure. He swept past Kenichi Tago in the first match, giving the Japanese World no. 4 a captive lesson on court. He won 12-21, 16-21.
His compatriots fought gallantly but Momota Kento and Takema Ueda proved too strong for Chong Wei Feng and Daren Liew, respectively.
Results: (Japan beat Malaysia 3-2): Kenichi Tago (4) lost to Lee Chong Wei 12-21, 16-21; enichi Hayakawa-Hiroyuki Endo bt Boon Heong Tan-Thien How Hoon 1221, 21-17, 21-19; Kento Momota bt Chong Wei Feng 21-15, 21-17; Keigo Sonoda-Takeshi Kamura vs V Shem Goh-Wee Kiong Tan 21-19, 17-21, 1221; Ueda Takuma bt Daren Liew 2112 18-21 21-17.