Maybe after OG12 will Chai/Zhang reunite. Guo might end up playing with LYB's son (Li Gen)[/QUOTE] Ha Ha Ha.... I like this a lot! :crying:
yes so true. i just saw the china masters ss 2011 player list, zhang nan will play in md with tao jiaming. maybe the chinese coaches changed their mind and dont want zhang nan's talent in md to be wasted ?
They should have won it as it is a very good chance that both KOR great teams and CAI/FU are all out but they can not do it. It is a pity.
meanwhile, 2 korean great great pairs not even in the final. and one lost easily to chai&guo. it is a pity.
i think tat they kid of like give up after so close but losing the 1st game, they gt a really great chance, and they didnt lose to their opponents bt to their own selves, i think
Chai Biao is quite a hard smasher imo.. Saw him 'LIVE' in stadium, broke his Li Ning racket when doing a hard jumping smash.
who agrees with me that guo zhen dong has the weakest smash in the top 10 MD pairs? i used to think he was just hitting half smashes, until i realised that is as hard as he hits! and his technique doesn't help in terms of imparting power. his body faces forward unlike the textbook technique of body facing sideways when smashing anyway, i've never rated Guo. zhang nan needs to replace "B" team player Guo if Chai Biao is to realise his potential!!
I have to say the GZD/CB combination is much better than ZN/CB as GZD is more experienced and much better at the net and in half-court play than both of them (his backhand has no back swing at all and he places it well most of the time). He DOES half-smash a lot of the time to get into his more favored position and not open up the court for counter attack.....although his smash isn't as strong as most others, I agree. Still better than Fang Chieh Min's though. The last half year I didn't see more than one, possibly two matches where Chai Biao played better than Guo. Too many errors, to hasty around the front and little variation (with one or two exceptional matches where he was on fire and played amazing). China needs more MD players!
yes i admit that CB is still a bit raw and i can understanding the reasoning for pairing him with GZD who is more experienced. still, in terms of potential and ability, GZD will forever be a B team player (IMO he also lacks the mental strength and ability to rise to occasions - i.e. he lacks the champion mindset which ZN possesses) whereas I see tons of potential in CB CB probably has the strongest smash in the china team - well, he certainly gives FHF a run for his money!
He's ages from Fu's smash Fu doesn't only hit hard, he hits with great placement. CB is near him (never above 300 afaik) concerning speed, but his placement is not as good at times.
yes! the CHN coaches have finally seen the light and put Zhang Nan and Chai Biao back together! Now THIS is the pair that can replace Cai and Fu!!! Not Hong Wei and Shen Ye. Certainly not Chai and Guo (Guo - you are no longer required thank you!!)! Congrats Chai and Zhang on winning their first SS title! I am sure this is the first of many to come
Congrats to them for winning their first title together - but don't be hasty and assume too much based on this victory. Many of the top pairs were missing, there were no Koreans whatsoever, all in all the entry list seems more like a GPG than a SS tournament. Not to take anything away from them, they played well and managed to beat 2 other Chinese pairs (both of which have Top10 potential) on their way to the final....hope we get to see them more often from now on and this wasn't just a one-time thing. Can't really think of a reason not to keep them together for a while though
I think Zhang Nan may not spend a lot of time with CB is mainly because being part of the best XD team in the world, Zhang Nan will play a lot of of XD matches. I'm not sure if he has energy to play both MD and XD. But after watching the China Master, ZN/CB seems to be more promising to replace CY/FHF than CB/GZD and HW/SY. But still ZN is lack of power and CB is still very inconsistent. It will be a tough decision for the Chinese coaches.
ZN doesnt lack power - hes just not a smasher. Compared to Cai Yun, his smash could still use some work, but is already okay, and he is definitely the thinker in the combination. Chai Biao really needs to work on his consistency though, quite a few unforced errors from the back against the Japanese pair in the final...
I really liked them when they first started playing together before ZN became known for XD (all England 2010 victory that set them off? Weren't even seeded for the tournament were they/ came through qualifiers??) Good, exciting pair to watch I think it's a shame CB has been left behind somewhat being partnered with GZD (I'm not a fan, bit of a jack of all trades although there's nothing wrong with that...) whereas ZN has flourished playing for the big prizes in big tournaments so he's a lot calmer/ head strong. Also don't agree about the smashing, can't be a chinese mixed mens player and not have a good smash! He's just one of those that uses half smashes to set up further shots as opposed to hitting away and hoping for a weak return. Hope to see them play further games togeth, IMO I'd rather ZN focus on MD as the pair to take over from CY/FHF as I don't think there's much else to pick from? Hong Wei /Chen Yu are a good pair but are nowhere near the standards of these two! Plus I think a strong enough pair in the mixed of XC/MJ wouldn't you rather have two world number 1's in two disciplines (mens and mixed) as opposed to world 1&2 in one (mixed)?
From the Chinese perspective ZN playing XD is better than him partnering up with CB for MD. In XD, he and ZYL are completely dominant when in form, whereas in MD, he and CB have still to improve quite noticeably if they want to capture that #1 spot. I think it was a good move to split them for a while, as ZN flourished in XD and as a result is a very tactical and dangerous MD player (much better awareness than when they started out) whereas CB being partnered up with GZD helped him get more consistent as GZD is a reliable, experienced, calm player (if not real champion material). Giving them another shot now is good, but CB showed that he STILL has long ways to go if he hopes to take over from CY/FHF (especially Fu as they're both smashers). He lost patience way too early and made a bunch of errors in the tournament, which will cost them the match against better pairs (Top 2 Korean pairs or the Danes for example). Also we'll have to see how they perform against the other top pairs as in this tournament they only played Chinese and Japanese pairs, who like to play at the same high pace/defend a lot, a more tactical pair like BoMo will probably beat them quite convincingly as they're not very experienced and not dont know each other so well yet. Exciting pair to watch though, that's for sure! Very excited to see how far they can go
i dont think GZD is as cool and calm as people make him out to be. I think his limiting factor is not just his physical ability (he's simply not as talented as the A team players) but his lack of mental strength. I think he "bottles" it in the big pressure situations. Which goes back to the point that he is not true champion material. Anyway, as you all know I've never been a fan of him. A solid B team player who fills the gaps when needed. CHN definitely now looking for the replacement to FHY/CY - ZN and CB are as promising and full of potential as CHN can get for now!!!
I agree placement is more important than power when smashing from the back court. But from watching the MD final, ZN failed to win a point smashing from half court a few times. It rarely happened to other top MD players including CY. But ZN is definitely one of the best double players right now in both MD and XD. He is a very smart player.
I really like this pairing and hope that they can be World Champions. They both look like winners and have the championship mindset. Fu/Cai will be hard shoes to fill though, they may never reach that level. But I think they can be world #1 team dependent on Zhang Nan. If Zhang Nan can learn to intercept the net the way Cai Yun does, this team will be #1. I dont think he's at Cai Yun's net level yet. But I hope this team can challenge Lee Yong Dae and the top Koreans.