Chen Long of China celebrates after winning his men's singles third round tie against Ng Ka Long at the BWF Badminton World Championships 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Jundong)
BASEL, Switzerland, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion Chen Long survived huge third round scare to move to the last eight, as defending champion Kento Momota of Japan eased through at the Badminton World Championships here on Thursday.
No.3 seed Chen, who won the world title in 2014 and 2015, was 5-11 behind in his third set against Ng Ka Long, though he managed to level the scores at 11-11 and went on to seal the decider 21-16.
Chen won the first set 21-13 and looked on track to go through comfortably.
But Ng, the ninth seed, made a thrilling comeback in the second, winning 21-17 to take the match to the third set, which he dominated from the beginning.
"The first set was too easy for me, so I lost concentration in the second," Chen said. "Trailing 5-11, I had no choice but to try my best. I am happy that I made it."
The 30-year-old will next face fifth seed Anders Antonsen, who defeated Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan 23-21, 21-18.
Japan's Kento Momota celebrates after his men's singles third round match against India's H. S. Prannoy at the BWF Badminton World Championships 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Jundong)
Momota, also the world No. 1, defeated India's H.S. Prannoy 21-19, 21-12 after 55 minutes. He now faces Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, who eliminated Japan's eighth seed Kenta Nishimoto 21-15, 11-21, 22-20.
Second seed Hou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei beat Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 21-13, 18-21, 21-17, and will now take on Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen, who ousted India's Srikanth Kidamai 21-14, 21-13.
The other quarterfinal clash pits India's B. Sai Praneeth against fourth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.
Chen Yufei of China celebrates after her women's singles third round match against Michelle Li of Canada at the BWF Badminton World Championships 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Jundong)
In the women's draw, fourth seed Chen Yufei of China, the All England champion, beat Canada's Michelle Li in three sets to enter the last eight.
Michelle Li of Canada returns during her women's singles third round match against Chen Yufei of China at the BWF Badminton World Championships 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Jundong)
The Chinese No. 1 took 72 minutes to see off 11th seed Li 21-18, 17-21, 21-17, setting up a quarterfinal showdown against Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark.
12th-seeded Blichfeldt edged eighth seed Saina Nehwal of India in a three-set thriller 15-21, 27-25, 21-12.
Chen's teammate He Bingjiao, who won bronze in last year's world championships, also booked a quarterfinal berth after beating compatriot Han Yun 21-18, 21-14.
She will take on third seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, who downed Sung Ji-hyun of South Korea.
Seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand fought back from one set down to defeat Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 18-21, 23-21, 21-10.
Singapore's Yeo Jia Min, who upset top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the second round, reached the quarterfinals for the first time in her career with a victory over Vietnam's Thi Trang Vu 21-15, 14-21, 21-16.
Elsewhere, second seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei defeated South Korea's Kim Ga Eun 24-22, 24-22, and fifth seed Sindhu V. Pusarla of India breezed past U.S. player Zhang Beiwen 21-14, 21-6.
The 19-year-old Yeo will next face Intanon and Tai plays Pusarla.
