JAKARTA: Lee Chong Wei is likely to have one less opponent to worry about as he bids to win his first men’s singles title at the World Championships at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. Japan’s Kenichi Tago, tipped for a quarter-final clash with Chong Wei, is set to pull out of the championships due to a nagging back problem. Japan chief coach Park Joo-bong said that Tago’s withdrawal was inevitable as he could not even train for the last two days. “He has been struggling with a back injury and we are not sure how bad it is this time. Even if we field him against Poland’s Michal Rogalski, I don’t think he will last long,” said Joo-bong. “Tago’s world ranking has dropped (to 39th in the world). We will review his place in the team after these championships. It has not been a great year for him.” In Tago’s absence, Joo-bong is banking on world No. 4 and reigning Indonesian Open champion Kento Momota to keep the flag flying for Japan in the men’s singles. “Momota’s condition is impressive coming into this world meet. We are hoping for something special from him here,” said the South Korean. In another development, Malaysia team manager Ng Chin Chai said Chong Wei would definitely play against Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania after taking care of his blister problem. “He has received treatment for the blister on his toe. He is quite nervous about it but we hope that all will go well for him in his first match tomorrow.”
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