If Sourabh Varma can take out Marc Zwiebler, then either of the Varma brothers might even enter and win the title as both SYQ and JC looked vulnerable, probably somewhat jaded. Otherwise I'd pick Marc to stand on the winner's podium.
Yes.. Home advantage for zwibbler too but i think sourabh is in awesome form since last couple of months. I'd bet on sourabh today against zwibbler,even against the odds. But i still feel Shi Yuqi remains the one to be beaten, even though he might not be at his best. Samir Verma is still not in his pre olympic form. He was in quite some form that time around.
Why not? No Intanon/Marin/Li Xuerui to block her path to heaven, not that she can't beat them. Besides a recent win at the French SS is sure to have pushed her to the next level mentally, tho she's renowned for her inferior levels of fitness, but she's young.. So we never know.
Tan/Lai of MAS has probs to deal with relatively new GER pair Michels/Seidel. In G3 the GER leads 9-7.
Jonatan is fitter, his deep backhand corner is well covered, a fast mover, the edge is his this time.
Also, a slight change of tactics from the French Open match, I think, in that he didn't go all out in the first set, and played a slightly more patient game.
Jonatan is fast and strong, plays to his strength but according to script. Shi Yuqi is smarter, more flexible and adaptable, knows how to change his script according to the situation. Let's see hw the decider goes, the physical advantage is still Jonatan's.
I feel a physically stronger SYQ with better stamina will make him an even better player , raising his game another level.
Shi Yuqi appears to be tactically and technically better than Jonatan, who needs to really step up his attack if wants to make a fight of this.
Based on the two matches the two young guns played, imho, for the time being, Jonatan is superior in physicality, Shi YQ in technique and a smarter player.
True, SYQ is more consistent and steady, Jonatan when he's trailing by several points tends to lose focus and becomes frustrated as what happened in G2 yesterday when his game suddenly came apart against Mark Caljouw .
