tomorrow's line-up is impressive : Chen Long vs Lin Dan AY vs Chen Yufei Sayaka Takahashi vs Nozomi.. Tian HW vs Lee HI Shi Yuqi v Hans-Vittinghus TTY vs PVS Sun Yu vs Nehwal
A Sudden pain grasped me in the evening when I learned that Lin Dan has been snubbed for the TV Coverage. It is a sort of pain that will take a long time to overcome. Why the organisers didn't see this artist fit for worldwide promotion of badminton? Has Lin Dan paid the price for being Lin Dan? Is Lin Dan unimportant for Badminton Australia? When Lin Dan will see his name omitted from the TV lineup, he will look over his shoulder and remember his past That London Olympics match point might be the first thing he will remember, he will admire the Beijing Olympics Dan and feel proud of himself That match point he saved in London WC 2011 and the pin point quietness that swallowed the universe He will probably glare at those Five World Championship Gold Medal collection he has in his home and wonder if Xiao Yu knows the value of the shining hanging collection of medals Finally, he will remember the day his journey started... Heavenly fate awaited this teenager. He will probably look at the beautiful night sky full of stars and then he will see that one bright star isolated in the corner and he will relate himself with it due to reasons galore. Probably the weariness of the long journey will summon him to sleep.
Li/Liu were drawn into fast flat exchanges with Lu/Yang all the time, for which the shorter Yang is very good at it while his big, tall partner, Lu, is just waiting at the back for the CHN to lift and then he'll launch his thundering smashes. Instead of mixing it up playing some soft touches, fast pushes and drives and occasionally lifting to keep the TPE pair guessing, as well as targeting the tall Lu more who can't stoop low enough and not let them settle into a comfortable rhythm, Li/Liu continued playing the TPE's game and got bested.
Imho, actually, Lin Dan didn't have to 'struggle' in G2, he simply played by instinct, naturally and without thinking much, it's just that Jonatan failed to push him hard enough and avail himself of the opportunities given. For me, I'm quite disappointed the Lin Dan - Chen Long matchup is only a Quarterfinals and they both need the points to improve their seeding in the Glasgow WC to avoid an early meeting with each other. If only Chen Long didn't screw up last week's INA Open PSS and win it.
That's what I though too. How often do we get such a matchup before the semifinals ? What better way to ensure and milk a full crowd attendance now and then still have either one in the semifinals and probably in the final too; maximum turnout and maximum profit for the organizer. Expect tickets to be sold out tomorrow. If I were the organizer,I'd have the same arrangement. Don't forget LCW's absence here, another consideration, i.e. no possibility of Lin - Lee, Lin - Chen or Lee - Chen Dream Final.
Why didn't they put the Akane Yamaguchi - Chen Yufei match on Ct 2 instead of Ct3 so that we get livestream at least ? Exchange it with the Sayaka Takahashi - Nozomi Okuhara match .
i agree. saina's in a tough spot in her career. @ 27 she's the elder stateswoman of the elite ws. though she's not yet over the hill i believe her path to tokyo is the toughest. she's coming back from injury and she'll be 30 (+5 months) in the time of olympics. getting back near the top and re-establishing her aura now is vital. she can become the lee hyun-il of ws: always a threat, always within striking distance of the title.
I'm looking forward to watching HKV dive all over to court to cover Shi Yuqi's slices, I think Hans will be the one still 'standing' at the end of this match. LD should be keen to win a second SS title on the year, I expect him to prevail over CL and push their H2H to 9-3. I believe LHI will outlast his fellow left hander Tian Houwei. Lastly, Srikanth's good form of late shall carry him past Praneeth.
Srikanth Kidambi beats Sai Praneeth in 2 games. Game 1 was very important and could have gone either way. Both players went hard against each other and made it a treat to watch! Hope they get a better draw in WC.
