LIVE Streaming : https://live.media.weibo.com/live/show?id=1022:23205046bc2688d40e65cb3b17c34f7416106b
@CLELY, thank you so much for the latest updates and links to livestreaming and replays. Keep up the good work, your contributions here very much appreciated.
Good job by HBJ beating CYF. Just skimmed though the WS but it seemed to me like CYF was looking rather tired in the 3rd set, in contrast HBJ going for good dives and jumpsmashes till the end of the match. Going to be interesting how she will fare against TTY, CM and the Japanese in the upcoming tournaments.
You're welcome guys That's what I'm waiting for, how the reborn He Bingjiao could deal with top foreign players, her physical fitness has been increased significantly.
Ah, you beat me to it, I had wanted to write about it yesterday but held back as I didn't want to be a spoiler as I believed many of you haven't watch it yet. Indeed, it came as quite a surprise to me, esp as He Bingjiao was around the middle of G3 trailing behind with Chen Yufei pulling away by 4 points or so, and I thought it's game over for HBJ then. But no, she actually dug her heels in and fought her way back like a lion, er, I mean tigress, with grit determination and remarkable fighting spirit, defending every shot thrown by CYF tenaciously, scrambling and diving, becoming more proactive to stun her opponent by turning the tables on her, and ultimately romped home to victory, score 16-21, 21-16, and 21-15 ! A brilliant and convincing performance by He Bingjiao that compelled me to view her in a new light. I can't wait to see how she will fare when international competition resumes and, in particular, the Tokyo Olympics go ahead this July. By the way, you might like to know that in the semifinals, He Bingjiao had a close hard-fought three-set 80-minute encounter with Wang Zhiyi before coming on top by the score of 21-14, 15-21, 21-19; in the end when WZY failed to force deuce at 19-20, she was so angry with herself (shaking) that her hairband came off, as reported. Sounds like a thriller, I have to look for that match (please post it here if any of you find it). OTOH, Chen Yufei had a relatively easy time disposing of the Zhang Yiman as the latter apparently couldn't get her game going whilst CYF was quick off the mark to finish her off 21-7 and 21-11. You can read the proceedings on final's day here (in Mandarin) https://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2021-03-28/doc-ikknscsk2721954.shtml. As for the MS final, in the absence of both Shi Yuqi and Chen Long, Lu Guangzu prevailed over Weng Hongyang. In the semifinals, Weng Hongyang beat Gu Junfeng (21-14, 21-16) and Lu Guangzu defeated Li Shifeng (21-13, 21-10).
I tuned in around 7-7 (don't remember exactly) in 3rd game, it was a high quality WS match. HBJ's movement looked much smoother and also her defense and net game surely improved a lot, I am still not convinced with her attack form what I saw. I didn't like MS quality, Idk why SYQ, CL didn't appear.
Also @Justin L any insider info on CBA changing sponsors? With Li Ning they can have more control over the equipment specifications.
Must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the stream from China, for me it’s glaringly clear they were missed in recent tournaments. Would like to mirror Sumanth’s shout out to JustinL, I noticed the sponsors exposure, head to toe + kit bag and in every nook and cranny of the arena, does the players have to use Yonex rackets too or Li Ning with new paint job and YY stamp?.
Inter brand paint job copying is not feasible, intra brand paint jobs are quite famous specifically from Yonex.
Here is the link to that match, with Cai Yanyan as quest commentator. Hope the link works. https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1t..._tag=s_i×tamp=1617096265&unique_k=FGwSEL
Not that I know of, or I haven't come across any details regarding the negotiations. My guess is that it's a purely commercial decision with Yonex probably making CBA an offer too good to turn down ( and as long as it does not violate any CBA's requirements). I also suspect Li-Ning is not doing as well as before (only rebounding the last few months during the global pandemic as China is the first and only major economy to recover) and couldn't outbid Yonex this time round. Just my thoughts.
Thanks a million, mate. I'm very keen to see how Wang Zhiyi is progressing as I find her a very intelligent, thinking player. From what I've read, Wang Zhiyi put up a tougher fight against He Bingjiao than Chen Yufei could.
Yup, no reasons given for their non-participation (at least on the usual websites I frequent, excluding fora), me too disappointed. Perhaps both the two Olympians, as Lu Guangzu is in distant third position even after Lin Dan's retirement, are reluctant to reveal their cards at this time so near to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics (with the permission of their coaches, I supposed). Remember, Chen Long and Lin Dan previously didn't even want to train together in the prelude to the Rio Olympics, 2016.
I used to kind of feel CBA is a direct stakeholder of LN, atleast with the development and research of the products, there was just too much LN in there. This shift same as a huge surprise to me. That said, yonex is clearly doing way better with axtrox range, for reasons I don't understand why except for marketing brilliance.
Well, Yonex has nabbed all the biggest names in badminton today, both active and recently retired - Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Kento Momota, Taufik Hidayat, Viktor Axelsen, Kevin Sukamuljo and Marcus Gideon, Lee Yong Dae, etc, - as their brand ambassadors and celebrity endorsers, a marketing coup for the company. How to beat that brand image?
Right now if you think Yuta, PV (occasional performer) are only top level pro's with LN. We can point at a lot of weakness in LN's naming, marketing etc, but one thing most forum people agree is that LN has best quality control, durability, looks, rackets that fit 95% players of all levels. It will be a big loss for badminton community if Yonex will regain its monotony and supressing other options.
Could there be country prejudice at play too?, there doesn’t seem to be much uptake for Li Ning rackets except Indian players, even if Li Ning offers the same or slightly better terms, I think South Asian players would still go with Yonex.