It's going to be a trial by fire for DPY who will be up against home beloved Hayom. Conversely, it will also be Hayom's big trial here -can he finally deliver on the expectations that his undoubted talents demand?
Hendra and Ahsan have nothing to lose against the giants of WD, CY/FHF. The Chinese however, need to prove to themselves they haven't slacked off after their huge achievements.
Saina has not been in the best of form, and is still nowhere near her peak; many of her midcourt hits could be easily put away for winners by any of the Chinese top 3, but she managed to get by Sayaka Takahashi, aided somewhat by that girl's impatience and at times, overconfidence. Overall, Saina has been undercooked and unimaginative. She has sterner tests ahead for sure.
MJ/TJH vs Pia/Rizky wil all boil down to whether Pia can counter MJ, and Pia was not in the best of form yesterday. The INA pair will need to be at the top of their game to moutn any challenge to the Chinese pair. Besides, TJH is growing in stature with each passing game. She and BYX are the future of Chinese WD, in my eyes.
LXR vs BYJ can provide the best possible WS match of the tournament so far. Can LXR overcome the left-hander's hoodoo that is beginning to follow her everywhere? Maybe a phone chat with Elder Sister is due!
Just like Hayom, it is now that Ajay Jayaram can seize the moment or let it slide forever. He has the talent and the tools to go much further than he has so far, just like his opponent MZ. So, who will carpe the diem?
In all the noise and confusion, Juliane has been stealthily moving up under the radar, true to her seeding, but she now faces an unpredictable force of nature in Tai Tzu Ying. Order or chaos -only one can prevail.
So many players will need to introspect deeply and come up with the right answers before the quarter-finals get underway!
