Yeah, gotta be dare to be patient and using soft shots more. When smashing doesn't kill any shuttle, you know he has no other plan how to get points.
Yeah, I had a gist that LZJ would lose today, no surprise. His shot quality is very terrible today it seems.
Hope he will do better. The first match against Anthony Ho-Shue was not energy efficient. Not enough variations and relied too much on smashes.
He should, but he tend to stretch it to 3 games unnecessarily. I don't know what would happen when he's up against Antonsen today. Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk
I hope so. And his smashes need to be more clinical, just like how he did throughout his All-England triumph. Maybe he missed his orange Victor racquets. Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk
An injury? Tough luck, LZJ. He needs to perform an overhaul to his style of play, I reckon. So reckless. Maybe learn a thing or two from Chen Long on how to command the rallies as a tall player, their stature is quite similar. Oh and he should play in fewer select tournaments starting next year. Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk
He is the same as the rest of the Malaysian players. Very unreliable and inconsistent. He may surprise you in Asian Games or All England tournaments by winning medals but do not expect him to deliver wonders in bigger events like Olympics/WC
If there's a way to hone one's mental fortitude to face tight situations, especially at the crucial stages of a match. Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk
Just to be fair to Lee Zii Jia. LCW took 3 years to establish himself as a top 3 MS player in the world after MO 2004. And along the way there was plenty of inconsistency. He did not play in an all England final until 2009 and only won it in 2010. He did not make it to WC finals until 2011 thats 8 years after he emerged in 2003. Winning AE this year is good achievement for LZJ. But can he tower over the rest? Thats another question. There is Ginting, AA , VA , Chou, and Kento to content with. though I think he is better than Srikant Kidambi and Nishimoto, he faces big challenges from Loh K Y and Kunlavut.
P.S As for a one trick pony he is accused of............ LCW was often known as a one trick pony before 2009.
Lee Chong Wei is like a Padawan trying to transition to becoming a pure Jedi knight. He has all the skills, fitness and speed without any limitations. Wong Choong Hann, Ong Ewe Hock, Rashid are players with A LOT OF LIMITATIONS. Unfortunately he is exactly like Anakin Skywalker. He did not pass the one final trial/obstacle. In his case, the trial was dealing with pressure and expectations to cross the final finishing line. As a result, he fails himself in every major tournament. Hence we can strongly pray Lee Zii Jia does not become a Lee Chong Wei 2.0. Between Lee Zii Jia and Loh Kean Yew, Zii Jia still has the physical advantage and shot advantage.
Given the recent rise of LKY, my bet would still be on LZJ. I would put LZJ winning of 6.5 out of 10. LZJ had a good chance of winning the finals at HYLO Open 2021 if not because of injury. And had LZJ not being injured in WC, I strongly believe he would be the champion. Similarly, had he overcame the second game against CL in Tokyo Olympics, Malaysia would have a first historic gold medal. These are near misses that LZJ have to work on, often times I see the opponents did not beat him but his mistakes' or his injuries'. I have full confident that 2022 will be LZJ's year!
My exact sentiments on the Olympics. He had won the first game too easily and I don't know what happened after that. A win against CL would guarantee him at least a silver.