It was China Open 2016, their first superseries premier title. They had won Australia and India open before that, against Angga/ Ricky in both occasions. But, beaten no. 1 seed Cai / Hong in SF 16-21, 26-24, 21-19. Playing in their opponent's home must be the turning point.
2013 huh? I wonder if Li/Liu had reached 190 cms back then. Kevin was probably only half their size back then That's unfair
This Sigit Pamungkas is not the same person as Sigit Budiarto, right? Easy for a foreigner like me to get confused Never heard of this Sigit, though. Sigit Budiarto, on the other hand, was my favorite player as a kid.
Sigit Pamungkas is Hendra/Kido coach back when they won Olympic 2008, together with Reony Mainaky. Herry IP was their coach but clashed with Kido, he then resigned from National Team before Olympic. Sigit Budiarto is a former player and now also a coach in Djarum Club. He coached Kevin before Kevin joined National Team. Many said his flamboyant style resemble Sigit
I suspect this was where that strong rivalry started from, Kevin played in MD & XD in WJC. he was great in both disciplines, but didnt get gold medal. I was wondering, how kevin felt when seeing his rivals since junior Li/Liu won WC last year, and how Li/Liu felt about their continous defeats from kevin. But I think their rivalry brings the best out of them It motivates them to defeat each other. I'll be glad to see them at WC final next week
I would say the turning point is their 5thSS title in MO open in 2017. Yes, they have beaten Chai/Hong in CO2016 but we know ChaiHong is not going to be their rival (and ChaiHong beat them in WC in 2017 so give and take) Their closest rival is always going to be Li/Liu. They beaten them comfortably for their 1st win against LiLiu in AE2017, It was in Malaysia where the fighting spirit is truly shaped and also more importantly, against your arch rivel. The way Kevin beat them and the way Li/Liu looked on saturday on the way to Kuching Airport , i will always remember lol. Li/Liu should really have won that match. Had they(Minions) lost that match, the H2H wouldnt have been 10-2 like it is now. Li/Liu can beat everyone but Kevin. sad to be in same generation. Everytime Kevin beats Li/Liu ended with Kevin getting the titles (9 of them) except 1 team event which is team event in AG.
Um.. I don't think it mattered that much really. It might have for Li/Liu though. Another turning point for minions, I think, was their Dubai 2017 SF match against Kam/Son. That's when they first found out they could employ different approach to win a match too if they had to.
Yeah it hurts LiLiu mentally. and because LiLiu can beat everyone. I always feel LiLiu is Minions' shield ever since that MO.
Why was it embarrassing? They managed to lower the gap with those rallies, even Steen praised their strategy stating that other pairs should learn from them to change the way they play when one tactic isn't working. We saw those rallies again at WC - quarter final last year, against the exact same opponents in the latter part of the 2nd game, but it wasn't enough for minions to beat kamura/sonoda at that time. It's interesting that minions employed that strategy only to kamura/sonoda. as long as I remember, I haven't seen them playing like that against other pairs, but I might be wrong
I remember one rally went up to 107 shots long That was clever though. Everyone was confused, Kam/Son especially had no idea how to handle the unusual situation. Kevin was the only one who seemed to enjoy those long rallies. They had employed the strategy to many pairs (usually in early rounds) but just not as extreme as it was against Kam/Son. In HKO last year in QF against Kim/Lee, they did it the later half of G2 but they got warned by the umpire ("you all need to play with full effort," he said) after Kim kept returning their lifts "lazily". Apparently when minions play slowly, people think that they are only playing half-heartedly even though it is actually a tactic.
Ahh you're right, they also used that tactic against Kim/Lee, before the umpire warned them. I remember seeing those confused looks in kevin & youngdae's faces after the warning, that's funny
Heh, peoples always know that minions' play is normally fast and furious. So, when they play slower, peoples will instantly think that something must be wrong with minions and suspect them. Some pairs play slower and have zero problem whatsoever. Apparently, the umpires have a thing or two against minions. Excuse me for making up this fictional conversation. Minions : *playing slower game* Umpire : (after calling minions) You need to put all of your effort, not playing half-heartedly. Minions : This is our tactic. Umpire : No, you are playing slow. You usually play fast and furious. But, you don't play like that today. You must be not serious.
Sorry, maybe "embarrassing" is not the right word. I didn't mean it that way. It's just that tactic was funny and very unusual in MD. I don't know the right word to explain it. Lol
They should pay minions for free "full effort" or "exhibition" matches. I guess they are kind of forgetting that minions are just humans.. there is no way they can keep playing their fast paced game throughout every tournament
Oh dear.. hahaha And I guess that yellow line is 1.15m? At the least, I hope their hair will stay dark
