Japan's Kento Momota announces return to competitive badminton

The reigning two-time world champion will compete at the All-Japan National Championships in Tokyo in late December, before planning to play in the Thailand Open (12-17 January) in Bangkok.

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]: World number one Kento Momota has announced that he will return to competitive badminton in the coming weeks.

Japan's shuttler Kento was out of action since January this year, after his triumph in Malaysia Masters when the vehicle taking him to the airport crashed into the back of a truck.

The reigning two-time world champion will compete at the All-Japan National Championships in Tokyo in late December, before planning to play in the Thailand Open (12-17 January) in Bangkok.

"It's been almost a year since my last international tournament. First I have the All-Japan championships and I want to concentrate on that," the Badminton World Federation's website quoted Momota as saying.

"But I'm really looking forward to playing against the best international players. I'm nervous but I'm really looking forward to it," he added.

According to the sports governing body, the list of athletes who qualified for the BWF World Tour Finals will be confirmed at the conclusion of the Thailand Open.

It is mandatory to enter both the Thailand Open tournaments in order to be eligible to qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals.