2013 Victor CHINA Open SS Premier : SEMIFINALS & FINALS (16th & 17th November 2013)

Discussion in 'Korea / China Open 2013' started by CLELY, Nov 15, 2013.

  1. mrinalini

    mrinalini Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2010
    Messages:
    488
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    No longer in Normandy
    LXR will win - she looks more tired than Wang, but her game is so much more varied than Wang's that she can get a point back whenever she wants. WSX can only hope for errors from Li to score most of her points.
     
  2. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    A tight net shot saves LXR, 20-19, matchpoint opportunity for her.
     
  3. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2006
    Messages:
    2,035
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Where else?
    Glad I took the safe(r) bet of WSX +1.5 (i.e. WSX to win AT LEAST 1 set), games like these are impossible to call.
     
  4. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    A lucky victory for LXR in the end, a close shave as well.
     
  5. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    well she certainly proved us wrong!!
     
  6. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    I must say, WSX playing like a world champion. What a match.
     
  7. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2006
    Messages:
    2,035
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Where else?
    2/2 for me so far :rolleyes:
     
  8. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    If only WSX had handled the crucial points better , the trophy would have been hers - at 19-all, it could have gone either way.
     
  9. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2006
    Messages:
    2,035
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Where else?
    Yes, very true. You could see when the score got closer WSX opted for more attacking shots (whereas she was playing quite defensive in the 1st half of the set and moving LXR around a lot). That sudden shift from "controlled defense" to "attack" didn't work out well for her.
     
  10. mrinalini

    mrinalini Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2010
    Messages:
    488
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    No longer in Normandy
    I lost count of the number of times I wanted to scream at Wang in the latter stages of the third game - attack, you dolt, attack! Your opponent is tired and will crumble if you heap the pressure on, but there was Wang still doing her same old thing and constantly lifting at the net for Li to kill her.

    No luck involved with Li's win today; she has an all-around game unlike Wang and she scored points with outright winners whenever she wanted. WSX's game is pathetically one-dimensional and if she ever becomes world champion, I will eat both my hat AND my underthings.
     
  11. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    Perhaps WSX, sensing victory when leading in the decider for most of the way, then became a bit too eager to win and affected her touch thereby.
     
  12. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2006
    Messages:
    2,035
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Where else?
    Haha, make sure your hat is tasty! I think WSX has come a long way since she broke through on the international stage. She has some sort of an attacking game now whereas compared to 1-2 years ago, she could barely win points from her smashes.

    She's young. Very young if you consider that ZN won her 2nd OG title at 33. I am quite sure WSX can still improve.
     
  13. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    Yes, WSX can attack better now than she ever did before. Just count the number of times she attacked LXR to win some of her points - that says a lot coming from WSX, for me at least.

    Anyway, WSX has proven she can handle any kind of player now, from the rallying stroke players to the fierce attacking ones.
     
  14. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    i don't know why the commentators keep harping on Bao Yixin. while not a bad player, but certainly from her previous and today's matches not deserving so much praise. players like Ra Kyung Min yes, but Bao Yixin? i am not convinced. in fact, i think Zhong Qianxin hit more good shots today than BaoYX!
     
  15. mrinalini

    mrinalini Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2010
    Messages:
    488
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    No longer in Normandy
    LOL, I will, but I don't think I'll have to. :p

    23 is not that young in badminton terms. 16, 18...that's young, IMO. Wang Shixian should be at her peak or getting better at this stage, and she's perhaps getting slightly better but it won't be enough to take on both LXR and WYH and the always improving ROtW and her younger teammates. You cannot watch today's third game and tell me that it's much different from how Wang used to play 2-3 years ago. It is obvious that her style of play is limited, she's known it for some time now, and in all that time if her game hasn't changed much I doubt it will be very different many years from now.

    I could be wrong, though. And Zhang Ning, there's very few that can be like her, if any - only Li might repeat as OC in 2016 and even that'll surprise us if it happens.
     
  16. boon_keng

    boon_keng Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    478
    Likes Received:
    57
    Location:
    Central singapore
    For me it is the vast improvement in her (wsx) fitness.......improved fitness results in improved retrievel shots ability (never say die) results in being competitive.....
     
  17. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    I mean at 19-all in the 3rd set, if LXR's tight net shot didn't just went over and stayed close to the net and then, finally, the high lift by WSX to the baseline hadn't gone long which didn't happen that often knowing her ability to control her clears - we just won't know how the match would have gone eventually, esp in view of LXR looking much the more tired of the two.

    However, I've to admit a fitter or fresher LXR might have finished off WSX more convincingly by maintaining her fast-paced attacking game coupled with fewer mistakes in the cross-court slices and drop shots.

    I read that in LXR vs Han Li's match yesterday, most of the reporters present said they thought Han Li was going to win G2 to force the decider as happened the last time they met at the Chinese National Games semifinal. But instead LXR drew level and went on to win in two straight sets. When one of the reporter later asked Han Li about it, she explained without regret that it was because LXR could inject pace into her game so much so that she couldn't keep up with LXR's speed of play.
     
  18. boon_keng

    boon_keng Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Messages:
    478
    Likes Received:
    57
    Location:
    Central singapore
    Lxr is really tough mentally......I have all the respect in the world for her.........wsx did the right thing, play rallies since having a big lead with lxr looking gassed even from game 2 onwards......

    Lxr is really good and she can go even further, if she's motivated.
     
  19. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    Agree, improved fitness translates into better shot retrieving ability, generally speaking, but, it's clear to me that WSX also has made significant improvements in her stroke play and control, in deceptiveness and smash ability, effectively raising her game another level ( just watched the four matches she played with IR and Porntip, including this one with LXR).
     
    #139 Justin L, Nov 17, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2013
  20. Justin L

    Justin L Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2011
    Messages:
    51,457
    Likes Received:
    4,190
    Location:
    Citizen of The World
    Well said, I agree.
     

Share This Page