Akane seems more physical, quick on her feet, yet is able to place delicate net shots that contrasted with her powerful smashes. She score heavily on the backhand baseline of Lee with a smash on Lee's weak return. 9-3 now in Akane's favour. I'm afraid it's going to be a one-way street.
Oh that was a pleasant surprise! I had to leave for an appointment and didn't have a chance to follow the match.
I recalled that Lee CH last beat Akane Y at the WJC mixed team event 2014. Well, after all the effort in G2, she hadn't got much left to push AY in G3 though she came close with brief spells of brilliance. In the end, AY is just too good.
Both Akane Y and He BJ are stocky but Akane is the better mover on court, has superior coverage, and, more importantly, not error-prone; in fact, Akane is more mature and steady for her age. On the whole, Akane is clearly the better player, not by very much though. Her gold medal tomorrow is more or less assured, I daresay.
Watching the Mixed Doubles, and the malaysia and hongkong pair is thrashing the Thai/China pair. Must say being able to communicate in a common language, Chinese, is a great advantage.
The rematch of this year WJC final, Akane Yamaguchi v He Bingjiao for gold medal match tomorrow. Anthony Ginting took first game 21-19 against reigning World Junior Champion Lin Guipu.
It does not surprise me if they spoke in Cantonese instead of Mandarin. Both are considered Chinese, but Cantonese is regarded as a minor dialect whereas Mandarin is nationally spoken.
Ginting had Lin GP on the ropes but let him escape in G2. He's employing the right tactic to catch LGP time and time again - net, lift, smash. Expect LGP to get the hang of it in G3 and counter it better.
It's rubber game as Lin Guipu sealed game 2 with same scoreline 21-19. What a close match, let's see what happen in deciding game...
Too bad he fails to produce an upset... Ginting v Lin GP, 21-19 / 19-21 / 17-21. Hopefully he will grab bronze tomorrow. Yup, he wasted good chance in game 2. Another WJC final rematch : Shi Yuqi v Lin Guipu.
Good for Lin Guipu who uses his brains right in G3, reading his opponent's game better. What a miss for Ginting who came close to a fine victory.
It bodes well for CHN's MS in future as this two finalists, SYQ and LGP, are not one-dimensional players and mentally not weak when things aren't going their way. IMO, Ginting Anthony is a player to watch in the near future.
