The Juniors are doing well at the semi-final stage of the WJC 6 out of ten matches have a Chinese participant. Hope they can progress to the finals. In the Asian games fantastic performances by SYQ and LSF beating their opponents to make it an all China finals. They are represented in all except MD. So well done the coaches.
Hu zhe An was impressive to beat Alex Lanier who is coached by Peter Gade I think. He is mentally strong. I thought Al would progress based on his experience on the circuit. It goes to show that the Juniors who are talented don't need to be exposed to international tournaments often. It will be an interesting final between 2 of the best juniors . H-H it's 1-1, I think If Alwis smashes are hot on the day, HZA's defence and lobs must be nearly as good as the Seniors!!
I don't think she was injured, probably mentally drained after playing a pivotal role in China's mixed team win. Anyway we can't take away anything from Pitchamon's world junior title. She is a very good player, ranking 57 in the senior circuit. In fact I expected her to win the title last year. The only junior Chinese player who can probably beat her is Yan Anqi, but she is not ready for competition yet though back in training after a serious injury.
For Ws that's nice to know. But woe and woe the junior Ms. Although HZA performed well I don't find him a good potential. I hope I am wrong. I like Wang zi Jun. I think his game will improve. Chinas Ms lack really effective smashers and deception. I remember Yang Yang whose attacks were more effective. It is always near the sidelines. And he played against the great M. Frost. Weng Hong Yang is a good example, his smashes are not effective and are read by the opponents. LCW is the best example of wrong footing his opponents with his smashes. I can't understand why the CBA don't emphasis on this aspect of the game. In diving and t.tennis the quality can be achieved In my humble opinion I feel the quality of the singles coaching methods are clearly lacking. There are so many local tournaments for U11, U15 and U17 taking place so I don't see a lack of representation. Maybe I am a little harsh. But if Malaysia can produce Ng Tze Yong I don't see why China can't. You don't need China's academy of sciences for this do we.?
Finally we can get to see the U15 and U17 playing in an international tournament. Looking forward to the performances.
Been watching the Juniors playing and I can say they are quite good. There are 4 juniors at the quarterfinal stage. Luo Jing Yu is 15 years old. The others are 16 year olds. Zhang Zie Jie is seeded 4 in the tournament. The other 2 are Li Zi Hang and Liu Yang Ming Yu. These two will compete for a place in the semi-final. Although ZZJ is seeded 4th, I am more impressed with the youngster Luo JY. He has a good attacking game, great anticipation and very fast. I must say the Juniors have been prepared very well. I am pleasantly surprised at their level of skills considering they haven't participated internationally. So there's some truth in the defense that China has such a good pool of talent they don't need to travel as much as the other countries to gain experience. LJY took out the 5th seeded from Taipei quite comfortably in straight sets. It's possible that all 3 may proceed to the semi finals. I think the Hong Kong player may be the only strong comtender to prevent this. Hope my observations are correct
Luo Jing Yi is very good. He’s an attacking player but surprisingly willing to play net and also looks comfortable there when needed. I have been here watching this Asian U17/U15 championships. Most of the audience are relatives of the players. The first day was crowded - somehow a group of a hundred students turned up to watch coming and leaving in unison. Other than that, mainly parents and security guards as live audience.
I do recall your post and agree with your assessment. He is only 15 with a great touch. I will give my comments on these juniors later
Wow, the playing quality of these 4 juniors is quite amazing. They all have their individual style but the basics are so sound, good baseline strokes, good net play, calm under pressure and good attacking play. They seem to be individually coached to play the style they are comfortable. These juniors are quite different from the earlier batches. Gone is the boring Chinese style of play. They are exciting to watch. The coaching has taken a more scientific approach. It's like the table tennis style, each player is an individual but the discipline of the basics is there. I know this is at teenager level, notwithstanding they are bloody good. I see light at the end of the tunnel for Chinese badminton. Let's see how their progress is planned. Congratulations CBA, at last things are getting better.
Luo JY lost to Zhang XJ in the semifinals. Watching the match I thought Luo had won as he was the one with the devastating smash. I didnt see the players names. Luo was totally out smashed by Zhang. Was I looking at Zhang instead of Luo in the previous matches?? Anyway it's good that there are 2 juniors with great smashes.
BTW the U15 finalist Fan Hong Suan is a great smasher as well, similar to LJY. Will be a good match against the Indian who is only 12 years old!!
I have been disappointed with WHY ever since I picked him as a very talented player in his junior days It's mainly his defence, frequent unforced errors and ineffective smashes. His performance against SYQ finally showed what he is capable of. I pick him to win the tournament. Congratulations to the coaches. They have improved his smashes which now scores frequently. His defence was also uncanny. I am sure, looking at the Juniors playing, there is a change in the coaching team and their approach and methods. At 14 and 15 years their standard of play is very very impressive, defence and attack used wisely. Can't wait to see their next appearance to see whether my optimism is over the top.
The two little "Jia Yi Fans", Zhang Yi Xin, and Zhao Xin Yi. are quite good. Zhang Zhi Jie and Li Zi Hang played very fast attacking badminton. Quite entertaining. Luo Jing Yu's style of play is more all round. That's why he could handle foreign players better than Zhang and Li. Li was a bundle of nerves yesterday when he couldn't get his attack going.
After watching the Asian Games and the Denmark Open, I wonder... something like a 'new Chen Long' and a 'new Lin Dan' emerging?
Let's see how WHY performs in the rematch with LZJ. If he repeats his fine performance and goes on to win the tournament then its the emergence of a new star. A hard thing to do in today's standard of badminton. I also feel very positive about the quality of the 16 year olds recently. Thats the age new stars emerge and start their future.
This week, the Hylo Open is on. Some might be interested to know that, for next week's FELET Vietnam International Series, some lower ranked China players like Liu Liang, Wang Zhengxing and Xie Haonan have been entered.
