Better Download VLC and 1) Go to Tools 2)Effect and Filters 3)Geometry 4)Flip Horizontally than to torture yourself with the 'mirror' Process.
I watched the Lin Dan vs Lee CW SF , flipping it horizontally and found the right handed Lin Dan much more easy on the eyes than 'quicker than bullet' Lee CW. That point at 19-20 down in the decider will be the few things I will probably remember till death. It was the last point Lin Dan won against Lee Chong Wei in his 15 year rivalry.
I really hope so. Chen Long is big, tall and very strong,physically, his athleticism and agility render his offense and defense topmost. He's capable of playing at a high pace both in speed of movement and shot-making for which, however, he can mix it up with fast and slow shots or hard and soft touches in varying degrees of velocity,angle and power as required to confuse and keep the opponent guessing, in effect introducing better shot variation or a wider repertoire. Of course his speed coupled with his height and reach allow him to take the shots early or retrieve near-impossible returns when he's late to it,even when he is somewhat out of position, thus translating into amazing retrieving ability. Imho, I think Sun Yu is beginning to realize her physicality and knows how to capitalize on it but not fully yet which I believe she will as she gains in knowledge and experience. Like I've said before, I hope she becomes nimbler, that is agile, quick and neat in action. It also helps if she acquires a little more deceptiveness (saves you a lot of energy as you don't always have to use brute force), disguised shots, trick shots and suchlike. Not only that if she can, based on her own intelligence, improve on her ability to read the opponent's game and anticipate better which, undeniably, can only be acquired through experience - then, all in all, yes, she can be the female version of Chen Long. But, to be honest, I still think that, in terms of anticipation and reading the opponent's game, Chen Long is not at the same level as either Lin Dan or Lee CW yet but near, a skill made better by vast accumulated experience, assuming you're intelligent enough, what we call a smart player. At the moment what Chen Long lacks, not much actually, is made up for by his superior physical attributes as he is in the prime of his life in badminton terms. Again, I can't help but reiterate that Chen Long is so fortunate in having two such living legends, the supreme masters, Lin Dan and Lee CW, to school him and make hi what he is today. I'm absolutely sure he is the most worthy and capable 'disciple' that the two greats are proud to acknowledge. In conclusion, yes, I agree it's possible for Sun Yu who shares similar physical attributes for a female athlete to take the same route as Chen Long to rise to the top. So, indeed, it's very possible, not surprising at all, for Chen Jin to try and mould Sun Yu into a female version of Chen Long. That's just my two cents.
Umm..some improvement in He Bingjiao's fitness and looking a bit leaner but, unfortunately , as shown in today's R2 loss to Mitani Minatsu at the KOR Open SS, apparently far from enough. Her lack of fitness and stamina is still a glaring issue, high time for her coaches and physical trainer to work on it so that she can quickly and fully assume the mantle as one of the leading WS for CHN reliably and consistently. In fact, already in G1, she showed signs of fatigue. In G2, from 11-8, she gifted the next 5 points to go 11-13 down and couldn't chase it back again. Every now and then , she's left stranded by MM's drop shots or return of smashes forcing her to scramble for it, resulting in strings of errors throughout the whole match. In G3, she's simply out of it, her leaden legs and clouded judgement gave her away as all that Mitani needed to do was simply to keep running and retrieving everything with the occasional attack as the opportunities arise while at the same time sending HBJ all four corners of the court to drain her further. In the end, the deficit was insurmountable though at 11-20 down, she tighten her game a bit to outmanoeuvre her opponent to claw back the next 5 points, it was too little too late. Only in tournament conditions will a player's shortcomings and weaknesses be exposed, unlike at training where nothing is at stake and one need not push oneself too hard. I recall Chen Yufei once admitted she used to skive during training and one day was forced to realize how tired she was in a match at the senior level where the competition is so much tougher as to push her to the limit, exhausted; since then, she began to take her training more seriously and was exceedingly glad that it yielded better results as her game improved considerably. I trust HBJ would realize that too, the hard way, and conscientiously and determinedly do what is necessary to overcome her shortcomings.
He Bingjiao's inconsistency is a real concern, got to address it while she's still young. I also suspect she's unaccustomed to jetlag as she hardly travelled across continent and so many timezones in her junior days playing so few tournaments at the senior level and that almost all at GP/GPG level practically in Asia. She is still only in her first year at senior level, it's vital for her to be given much more international exposure and acquire the necessary experience as soon as possible. A the moment, I feel that both He Bingjiao and Sun Yu are not yet fully ready to take on the mantle as the leading CHN WS in the absence of Li Xuerui and the two retired Wangs. But I'm optimistic they can do it in good time and I'm looking forward to seeing Chen Yufei joining their ranks early next year when she turns age 19. Time will tell.
For the time being I've given up trying to predict or place too much hope on He Bingjiao's match outcome. She can be brilliant one minute and mediocre the next throughout the match and/or tournament. Watching her play keeps me on tenterhooks as if I'm on a roller-coaster ride. At risk of repeating myself, I daresay if she improves her fitness and stamina considerably, all her problems and vulnerabilities that translates into her inconsistency will be greatly diminished, if not completely solved,I hope, thus realizing her fullest potential and raising her game to the highest level she's capable of. We'll see.
That must have been the easiest SS final if all times. But still, congrats for winning the 2016 French Open!
I've to admit I'm both taken aback and pleasantly surprised by He Bingjiao clinching the back-to-back Bitburger Open GPG title after landing the French Open SS crown the previous week. I suspect Chen Jin probably shares my sentiments, guess that's why he left for home to train and prepare the rest of the WS charges for the upcoming CHN Open PSS even before HBJ's semifinals match leaving Xia Xuanze, the MS coach, to stand in for him. As I've said, she's forcing me to look at her differently now, not only did her stamina held (wonder where she got her reserves of energy from) but she also showed remarkable fighting spirit to emerge victorious ultimately , grabbing her 4th title in the year so far, viz. two Superseries and two GPGs since the commencement of her pro circuit career at the senior level, apart from her junior days when she already had another two GPG (CHN Masters and INA Masters in 2015) and one GP (Viet Open in 2013) titles to her name. Next, I can't wait to see how she'll fare at the upcoming China Open Premier held on her homesoil. Keep it up. JiaYou !