Harimoto exacts revenge

Tomokazu Harimoto has sent a message to the rest of the playing field at Singapore Smash, after the Japanese superstar exacted his revenge against Chen Junsong winning 13-15, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9.

Having lost to Junsong in dramatic fashion at the China Smash last year, all eyes were on Harimoto to see if he could answer that setback here in Singapore, but the No.4 seed was anything but comfortable out on Infinity ∞ Arena.

A rising star in the Chinese ranks, spectators at The Kallang had the exciting opportunity to see Junsong up close, and he impressed right from the off, staging an eye-catching comeback from 10-7 down in the first game to steal an early lead.

Suddenly, all the memories of China Smash came flooding back as Harimoto was quickly reminded of the dangerous waters he encountered last year in Beijing. He recovered well in the second, overturning a 1-5 deficit to avoid the dreaded possibility of falling two games adrift.

But Harimoto would soon be under the cosh again, as Junsong came out swinging, this time taking advantage of his 1-5 lead to raise the temperature in the arena.

Time was quickly running out, and with it, Harimoto’s chances were beginning to erode. The WTT Finals Hong Kong champion had no choice but to up the ante. A high-risk approach was now a necessity, and it would pay off as Harimoto successfully took the match to a fifth.

Then, when it mattered most, Harimoto withstood enormous pressure at 5-8 down in the decider, refusing to let his head drop. Entering max velocity, he knocked off five points on the bounce to set up two match points. Junsong would save one, but that’s where his flame would extinguish as Harimoto settled the debate at the second time of asking.

Relieved to finally get his own back in a fast-growing rivalry, Harimoto has put the ghosts of China Smash to bed, and can now focus on the road ahead in Singapore.  

Awaiting Harimoto in the next round is Alvaro Robles, who punched his ticket to the last 32 with an eye-catching 11-3, 7-11, 13-11, 12-10 win over Yuta Tanaka.