A Mu served, and Kento Momota pushed a high clear over A Mu's head.
A Mu accurately judged the landing spot and returned a flat clear down the line.
Kento Momota used a Malay Step to attack down the line, but A Mu only took one step back to the center of the court, easily receiving it, and even stepped forward early to flick a cross-court shot to Kento Momota.
Kento Momota couldn't keep up and could only watch A Mu score on defense.
The score was 7-18.
A Mu served next.
This time, Kento Momota dropped the shuttle to the middle of the net to limit A Mu's shot angle.
A Mu returned a tight drop, Kento Momota dropped it, and A Mu directly went for a kill, succeeding.
The score was 8-18.
A Mu signaled for a new shuttle, and the Lady Referee and Kento Momota agreed.
A Mu served, and Kento Momota pushed a clear to A Mu's forehand baseline.
A Mu played a flat clear, pressuring Kento Momota at the net, who then transitioned to the net.
A Mu intended to defend against Kento Momota's smash, but Kento Momota's transition forced A Mu to the net, so A Mu immediately paused and continued to push to Kento Momota's forehand baseline.
Kento Momota had to initiate a second movement and was forced to lift the shuttle, which was of extremely poor quality.
A Mu quickly positioned himself, jumped high, and executed a powerful cross-court smash, sending Kento Momota to the ground, watching the shuttle land in bounds.
The score was 9-18.
Kento Momota signaled for a new shuttle, but A Mu disagreed, and the Lady Referee signaled for the match to continue.
A Mu served, and Kento Momota dropped the shuttle to the middle of the net.
He intended to play at the net, pressuring A Mu's net play so he wouldn't dare to drop the shuttle.
A Mu hit a high clear, landing perfectly, and Kento Momota could only transition to the middle.
A Mu gently flicked the shuttle to Kento Momota's forehand net, and Kento Momota quickly ran to it, barely lifting the shuttle.
He had anticipated A Mu would push a clear to the forehand baseline, but when he started moving and realized it wasn't, he immediately ran over, barely managing to return the shuttle.
A Mu positioned himself and attacked cross-court from the overhead area.
Kento Momota defended it, but the shuttle was too high.
A Mu easily smashed it to the net, and Kento Momota had no counter.
The score was 10-18.
A Mu signaled for a new shuttle, and the Lady Referee and Kento Momota agreed.
Coach Xia Xuanze spoke loudly to Lin Qumu, applauding to encourage him.
Although he also thought Lin Qumu should give up the first game and focus on the second, seeing Lin Qumu now score four consecutive points made him happy.
At least, being able to fight hard when behind was worth encouraging.
A Mu served, and Kento Momota immediately stepped forward to pressure him, intending to force a flat rally.
A Mu responded calmly, enduring Kento Momota's flat rallies.
Of course, Kento Momota was still stronger than him in flat rallies; it looked evenly matched, but Kento Momota actually had the upper hand.
After a few shots, A Mu voluntarily reduced power and returned a cross-court net shot, which Kento Momota dropped.
A Mu stepped forward and pushed a clear, and Kento Momota immediately hit it down, A Mu defended it, and Kento Momota softened a shot as he stepped forward.
A Mu raised his racket, intending to defend against Kento Momota's step-forward pressure, but after Kento Momota softened a shot, he could only step forward and continue to lift it to Kento Momota's forehand baseline.
Kento Momota transitioned a straight net shot, and A Mu faked a push clear, with a low arc.
Kento Momota jumped directly to catch the push, A Mu received it and flicked it cross-court.
Kento Momota quickly ran to it and lifted the shuttle.
A Mu used a Malay Step to attack down the line, a high-quality shot landing on the line.
Kento Momota immediately called for a Hawk-Eye challenge.
Kento Momota actually saw the landing spot of this shuttle very clearly, and he knew this challenge would fail.
But doing this was to slow down the rhythm; this challenge was a tactical challenge, allowing him to calm down and recall his strategy.
As expected, it was a line shot.
Kento Momota signaled for a new shuttle, and the Lady Referee and A Mu agreed.
The score was 11-18.
A Mu served, and Kento Momota paused and dropped the shuttle to the forehand net.
A Mu cleared cross-court, and Kento Momota immediately attacked down the line.
A Mu blocked it, Kento Momota pressured at the net, A Mu squatted to return the shuttle, Kento Momota continued to pressure, A Mu was gradually pushed back, sitting on the ground.
Kento Momota suddenly softened a shot and returned cross-court, A Mu immediately dove but failed to reach it.
The score was 19-11.
Kento Momota clenched his fist tightly.
When Lin Qumu scored four consecutive points just now, Kento Momota actually felt a bit stifled.
He knew he had a slight advantage just now, but he couldn't close out the game, which was somewhat unacceptable.
Fortunately, he still had a chance to win the first game now.
Kento Momota served, and A Mu pushed a clear to Kento Momota's forehand baseline.
Kento Momota hesitated in his judgment and hit it back, A Mu quickly flicked it cross-court, Kento Momota barely kept up, and A Mu, positioned in the middle of the single court, with his feet on the doubles service line, directly executed a powerful downward smash down the line.
Kento Momota made a gambler's move, anticipating a cross-court shot, but unfortunately, he failed.
Originally, Kento Momota could still make correct gambles and contribute very exciting defensive plays.
But now he could only rely on early anticipation to return these almost impossible-to-retrieve shuttles, failing almost every time.
Kento Momota signaled for a new shuttle, and the Lady Referee and A Mu agreed.
The score was 12-19.
A Mu served, and Kento Momota's return serve was a fake shot to A Mu's backhand net.
A Mu was deceived, and Kento Momota gained game point.
The score was 20-12.
Lin Qumu waved his racket.
Coach Xia Xuanze immediately comforted Lin Qumu, telling him to relax and not be affected by Kento Momota's fake shot.
A Mu began to consider going for the second game, so when receiving the serve, he deliberately cleared it out of bounds.
The score was 21-12, Kento Momota won the first game.
Coach Xia Xuanze followed Lin Qumu to switch courts.
The first game was actually within Coach Xia Xuanze's expectations.
It was normal for young players to lack experience when facing older players, and it was also normal to fall behind.
This was a necessary path for young players, and the pain they had to endure.
Of course, Lin Qumu played well when he scored consecutive points later on.
Coach Xia Xuanze told Lin Qumu some tactics and Precautions, then patted Lin Qumu's shoulder to encourage him.
Lin Qumu quickly finished his banana, took a sip of his drink, and then returned to the court with his racket.
Park Joo-bong was holding an ice pack to Kento Momota's back neck, continuously giving instructions to Kento Momota.
The Lady Referee began to remind: "Court 1, 20 seconds. Court 1, 20 seconds."
Park Joo-bong put down the ice pack but continued to instruct Kento Momota.
The Lady Referee began to remind, but Park Joo-bong still spoke to Kento Momota.
The Lady Referee reminded him three times before Park Joo-bong returned to the coaching bench.
The second game began.
Kento Momota served, the quality of this shuttle was poor, A Mu immediately stepped forward and pushed it to his waist, Kento Momota exerted force to escape, wanting to hit it directly to A Mu, who leaned back forcefully to hit it down, smashing cross-court for a point.
Kento Momota's serve was a breakthrough point in this rally, which Lin Qumu immediately capitalized on.
Then Lin Qumu directly and unreasonably hit it down forcefully, stunning Kento Momota.
Lin Qumu had seen Shi Yuqi execute this shot in the 2021 Sudirman Cup final.
The score was 1-0.
A Mu served, Kento Momota pushed a clear to A Mu's forehand baseline, A Mu jumped high, Kento Momota lowered his center of gravity ready to receive the smash, but A Mu suddenly changed his shot, cutting a straight drop shot, Kento Momota could only watch the shuttle land.
The score was 2-0.
A Mu served, Kento Momota dropped it, A Mu dropped it, brushing the net tape, Kento Momota passively lifted it, A Mu immediately jumped high at the net, directly hitting it down.
The score was 3-0.
At the start of the game, Lin Qumu immediately picked up the pace; he wanted to try and pull Kento Momota into an accelerated pace.
Currently, Kento Momota's defense was not as good as it was in his prime, and perhaps due to the car accident, his dynamic vision had also declined, which made it difficult for him to defend against smashes that he used to effortlessly return.
Furthermore, he was approaching 30, coupled with injuries, and he couldn't say his stamina would be like before, where he could play three full games every day and not necessarily get tired.
A Mu served, Kento Momota pushed a clear, good quality, A Mu hit a flat clear to Kento Momota's backhand, Kento Momota turned and transitioned a straight backhand, A Mu paused and dropped it at the net, Kento Momota was deceived, barely managing to lift the shuttle.
A Mu immediately smashed down the line, Kento Momota watched the shuttle land in bounds.
The score was 4-0.
Lin Qumu raised his arms in triumph.
The experience card not only gave him the feeling of the powerful Lin Dan from that era but also combined Lin Dan's experience with his own ability, giving the current Lin Qumu a presence on the court that was not inferior to Lin Dan's at that time, though his actual ability was still somewhat lacking.
With the added experience, Lin Qumu could truly anticipate Kento Momota's next moves, allowing him to plan how to play next.
Next, Kento Momota scored two points through defensive counterattacks, and Lin Qumu scored three points from one error.
Lin Qumu, relying on his extremely unreasonable offense, broke through Kento Momota, entering the technical interval first with an 11-3 lead.
After both players made consecutive errors, A Mu served at 18-9.
Kento Momota quickly pushed a clear to A Mu's forehand baseline, A Mu jumped high, Kento Momota waited to receive the smash, but A Mu suddenly changed his shot, hitting a cross-court slice drop shot.
Kento Momota could only watch the shuttle land for a point, feeling helpless.
He gave A Mu a thumbs up.
This shot played on Kento Momota's habitual thinking.
Because Lin Qumu had been playing very aggressively just now, stunning Kento Momota from the start, when Kento Momota saw Lin Qumu jump, he subconsciously assumed Lin Qumu would choose to smash, so his positioning was deep.
But Lin Qumu suddenly hit a cross-court slice drop shot, catching Kento Momota completely off guard.
Subsequently, Kento Momota deliberately made two errors, and Lin Qumu won the second game 21-9.
Lin Qumu clenched his fist in celebration, though he knew the upcoming match would not be easy.
Coach Xia Xuanze's first words after they switched courts were: "A Mu, you must be prepared for a tough battle."
Then he told Lin Qumu some important points.
Overall, Lin Qumu played very well in the second game; although he made a few more errors, this was an unavoidable issue with an offensive playing style.
Next, Coach Xia Xuanze told him to play as decisively as in the second game: drop it at the net when needed, smash when needed, pay attention to consistency, and don't think about fake shots or fancy moves.
The third game began.
A Mu served, Kento Momota dropped it at the net, A Mu dropped it back.
Kento Momota was very focused and immediately came forward to attempt a kill, but he misjudged the shuttle's distance from the net tape, causing him to successfully catch the shuttle but hit it on the net tape, slowing it down significantly.
A Mu was also startled but quickly pushed a clear, successfully clearing it over Kento Momota's head.
Kento Momota stumbled as he returned the shuttle, which A Mu then killed directly at the net.
The score was 1-0.
A Mu served, Kento Momota pushed a clear with his forehand, A Mu hit a downward straight shot.
Kento Momota returned a cross-court flick far from the net, A Mu changed from far to near net, brushing the net tape.
Kento Momota lifted it, A Mu quickly arrived at the landing spot, then jumped high and directly smashed down the forehand line.
Kento Momota received it, A Mu seized the high point at the net, Kento Momota judged A Mu would drop it at the net and began to step forward to the net.
But A Mu suddenly lowered his hitting point slightly and then directly hit a flat push down the line.
Kento Momota stopped his steps, watching the shuttle land on the baseline.
He immediately called for a challenge.
The challenge failed.
The score was 2-0.
A Mu served, Kento Momota dropped it.
A Mu lifted it, Kento Momota seized the opportunity and immediately hit it down.
A Mu defended it, Kento Momota defended far from the net, preparing to catch a push.
A Mu hit a high clear, Kento Momota judged it out, but the line judge signaled it was in.
Kento Momota did not call for a challenge, scooped up the shuttle, and signaled for a new shuttle, which the Lady Referee and A Mu agreed to.
The score was 3-0.
Kento Momota wanted to try and slow down the pace.
He wasn't incapable of playing fast-paced Badminton, but he was no longer young, and his stamina reserves naturally couldn't compare to his prime.
Moreover, Kento Momota was somewhat afraid of going head-to-head with Lin Qumu, even though Kento Momota played very well in the first game.
Now he wanted to pull the pace to a medium speed, which would be beneficial for his playing style and consistency.
Kento Momota's offensive ability had declined after his injury, but his offense was still very threatening; however, he could no longer play at a fast pace.
And Lin Qumu needed to maintain the current high-speed pace.
Although this posed a huge challenge to his stamina, he knew that once the rhythm fell into a medium-speed state, it would be difficult for him to break through Kento Momota.
Even though Kento Momota's defense was not as good as in his prime, his defense remained steady.
Badminton is about restriction and counter-restriction.
Next, it would be a test of who could restrict the other more effectively.
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I'll change the update frequency for now to once every two days; when it will return to once a day depends on my specific situation.
