The way I see it, LZJ's game is not much different from VA, and what happened in the past is an indication but no guarantee of what might happen in future. I mean, just look at what occurred to VA at Loh Kean Yew's hands, first in the 2021 world championship and last week's Denmark Open, not to mention a couple others who've beaten VA not long ago, such as Lakshya Sen, Lee Zii Jia.Even before his ban, he could not really beat axelson, like the Tokyo Olympics for instance? So he probably doesn’t have too much pressure going in
In my opinion, SYQ at his best can give VA a run for his money. The question is whether or when he is on top of his game. I'm reminded of how SYQ bested peak Momota in the 2021 Sudirman Cup, for example.
And just last week, who would've thought SYQ would emerge champion at the Denmark Open. However, for the reasons I've listed above, I seriously doubt SYQ can do it this time should they meet tomorrow.
In my opinion, SYQ's problem is he is his own worst enemy, proverbially. Honestly speaking, till now, I still have no confidence he has overcome his mental weakness, one unexpected tournament success doesn't prove anything. A good start nevertheless but , well, let's see how it goes from here.