A bit concerning for Zhang Yiman in her match with Marin yesterday. She was playing well, even leading by 15-11 at one stage but couldn't hold on to it as at 19-18 she let Marin reeled off three points in a row to close out G1. Thereafter in G2, it was Marin who, buoyed by her come-from-behind opening game win, went on to stamp her authority with a runaway victory as ZYM became lackluster and error-prone. Their difference in body language demonstrated Marin brimming with self-confidence whilst ZYM wilted unrecognizably. It was in stark contrast to how a year ago ZYM stretched Akane Yamaguchi in the Huelva WC semifinal to the limit, albeit ending in a two-set loss by the identical score of 19-21, but matching the eventual champion almost point for point, not to mention leading at some stage, and giving as good as she got. Until today, that stirring , well-fought match is still etched in my mind as it forced me to see ZYM in a new light then. ICYMI, watch that match here I really hope that world championship bronze medal performance by Zhang Yiman isn't only a flash in the pan. Let the future tell though it's been almost a year already.
here it is https://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/acceptancelist.aspx?id=e6c5845f-11ef-4a67-b5b9-c0605c2947a6
All Chineese players have withdrawn from Belgian international. May be because no one can make to the qualifying round due to lower rankings. But if they register for Canada open, most of them would have got the chance to play.
That injury couldn't have come at a worse time for ZYM. After winning a WC medal, ZYM was transformed and seemed on an ascent to the upper echelon. Since the injury, she has been stumbling along and is in danger of going back to the bottom of the pit. She really needs some good break to pull out of the current funk, or her career may be in jeopardy.
China really needs to find a new plan for their backup players to regain its dominance. In each discipline, they only have 1 reliable player/pair. Once they are down (fatigue or bad performance), they whole team will be empty-handed. MS: only SYQ is better but he has stamina issue. WS: CYF carries the team. HBJ, WZY are only goods against player outside top10. MD: LiangWang is the new hope. WD: ChenJia doing all the jobs. DuLi is garbage, since when Du Yue became so bad at the net? ZhengZhang may work, but the main issue is Zheng Yu with her lousy serve and (suspected) stamina. LiuXia is rubbish, LiuXX is no hope. XD: Besides the 2 top pairs, there's no any promising ones. WYL/HDP is aging. Guo Xinwa is another Yuki Kaneko. FZY/LFL is no impressive. Maybe due to no-covid policy, but as a supporter of CHN team, I'm worried. I also heard that a new batch of players arrived at Thailand, including sone notable names like Gao Fangjie, Wang Zhengxing, Tan Ning, etc, really look forward to their performance.
Not quite a match of the highest caliber, but it must be very memorable for the young winners. I have been eager to see what Liang Weikeng can do, ever since "discovering" him at the Chinese National Games last year. He finally delivered. He works well with his new partner who also seems very talented. A great end to the less than ideal showing of the Chinese team at the Japan Open.
Yes, Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, both 21 years old, is a surprise package at the Japan Open 2022 - from zero to hero, a veritable overnight sensation, just look at the famous, formidable and fearsome opponents this rookie pair have conquered , practically coming from nowhere to stand atop the winners podium in only their fifth tournament together. Their totally unexpected stirring triumph at the Japan Open' 22 WT750 event is just what CBA needed most to inject a huge boost of confidence in their MDs category that has been languishing and struggling to make a mark on the world's stage for some time, the more so after the sudden retirement of Li Junhui , thus ending his partnership with Liu Yuchen as virtually the only viable world-class MD pair in the top 10 for the last few years. Where there's life, there's hope.
They need to find someone equivalent to li junhui for liu yuchen soon, i dun think his new partner is working out much if they want to challenge for Paris
The thing is Ou Xuanyi's partnership with Liu Yuchen just won the Super1000 INA Open about two months ago, thus I believe the CHN coaches won't split the pairing so soon but give them a bit more time to work it out, and that's to be expected and understandable.
His body wasn't holding up. Several permanent injuries which include his knee, spine and big toe iirc.
Is Di Zijian still in the national team? There was an incident I recall… also Huang Kaixiang disappeared