Weng HY surprised everyone - i thought he' lose at the QF stage, i thought he was just a big smash, and expected Ng Tze Yong to have too much quality for him Instead, Weng kept the pace fast and showed a sharp tactical awareness, and Ng just didn't have the shot tolerance and struggled badly on defence.
Weng got better as the tournament went on - netplay plus killer smash plus fitness is really hard to withstand. I thought Christie would be a step too far in class and experience, but Weng set a high tempo and Christie just wilted in the end - thats why the mistakes came. I think a tough tactical battle with Srikanth and a hard-fought marathon with Viditsarn took its toll.
Take nothing away from Weng, but i do think the inevitable comparisons with LD are a bit premature. He definitely took his chance with both hands - they don't come round very often for CHN players, and he'll get a window to prove it was no fluke. CHN men's singles are in transition, the young lads are still finding the ropes, and right now the best young talent is elsewhere (Sen, Viditsarn)
I really like Viditsarn's play as well, he's brave, strong and fast, technically sound and hits like a hammer. Has junior pedigree, which doesn't always translate, but he's so athletic he has to shine. Needs to polish his front court skills a bit but raw talent here.
Men's singles overall, missing some big names this tournament, (seems like a decision by a certain group to collectively not play and leave the world rankings more-or-less the same before the TC?) Christie will be phlegmatic about losing a tight final, but overall, he's making gains in ranking and getting into good form over the past few tournaments.) Lots of players seemed to play 1 big match and not be able to back it up (e.g. Rhustavito - so skilful, but way too inconsistent.)