#'s time! (# of games played) in (# of matches) = total points played [avg. points played per game] lin dan: 12 in 5 = 433 [36.1] viktor axelsen: 12 in 5 = 424 [35.3] nozomi okuhara: 11 in 4 = 384 [34.9] pv sindhu: 9 in 4 = 324 [36] zhang/liu: 9 in 4* = 329 [36.6] ahsan/saputro: 11 in 5 = 411 [37.4] chen qc/jia yf: 8 in 4 = 294 [36.8] fukushima/hirota: 9.5** in 4 = 347 [36.5] chen qc/zheng sw: 8 in 4 = 287 [35.9] ahmad/natsir: 10 in 4 = 360 [36.0] * (1st rd bye) ** (rd 1 opponent retired at interval of 2nd game)
I think PV Sindhu will win. Nozomi has had two very tough and emotional matches and the demands of those will catch up. Lin Dan, well what can I say. This is it. Such a tough one but I am betting on Lin Dan because Viktor hasn't shown consistent mental stability lately. Lin Dan, been there done it, knows what it takes. Ahsan/saputra for the Men's doubles. Indonesia always get their tactics right.....Which means....Ahmed and Natsir for the mixed. Haven't watch Fukishima/Hirota play before. Can't predict...
I think the one will win will be : MS Lin Dan WS Sindhu MD Liu/Zhang WD Chen/Jia XD Zheng/Chen. I think China will sweep all four. All the finals ,they are the favourite anyway.
All matches in today FINALS have equal H2H records. All pair/players had met each other, except Ahsan/Rian haven't met Zhang/Liu CHN failed to send their WS player into Final. It would suggest another waiting time for WS CHN to dominationg the podium again. Lin Dan vs Axelsen is kind of passion & calm versus emotional & speed. If Axelsen have a good emotional control this time, he will perform with his best effort, otherwise Lin Dan will take the crown for the 6th times. Sindhu vs Okuhara, if Sindhu plays consistent and tactically right then she could be a new world champion. But Okuhara doesn't an easy opponent.
If PVS manages to display top form, she should have the edge on paper. But like yesterday I wont stick me neck out. (Necks still bruised after getting gulliotined by SWH ). So again my min (expectation) is 0/1 and max (hope) is 1/1. Game wise both are top players with Sin having wider repetoire (that goes amiss for 48/51 other weeks but is always on display in this week of August). However she is the girl who lost to Michelle Li at this very court 3 years ago and who last year lost to Ruthvika Shivani Gadde at the South Asian Finals. And lest you forget, she had a slight lead at the interval in the Olympic Finals too. Sindhu will need to show up and maintain her intensity throughout to win. Best of luck sister. Jai Hind!!!
If Sindhu plays like she did in last two matches against Sun Yu and Chen Yufei, then she will win gold
LOL. Agree. Sindhu sometimes makes heavy weather of matches when you think she should be easily steamrolling her opponent. So, which Sindhu will turn up today?? My most anticipated match of the day.
A huge if indeed. Same was true for Rio. Had she displayed the intensity she did vs Nozomi or Yihan vs Marin after the 3rd changeover, we would have had ourselves an Olympic Champion. At 100%, Sindhu should win. Lets hope that she finds that 100% again today and keeps up the intensity till last rally since Nozomi will keep on fighting till the end valiantly and keep pushing her to play extra shots every single time.
Poor Nozomi doesn't get a look in. OK. If Nozomi plays like she did against Marin, she will become the world champion.
My heart and mind both say the clinical professional champion will turn up and not the happy go lucky giggly kid who giggles while down to lesser opponents while on her way out of low key events. But I dont really listen to my mind and heart anymore since I am still smarting from Srikanth. I absolutely believed that he will streamroll everything in his path and blaze to glory.
NO has to change her tactic if she wants to clinch the gold. Fast clears won't make it against Sindhu. But NO has shown in the past that she can have some angles and variation. She has to make Sindhu bend and use the front court. Sindhu has to be patient if her attacks do not penetrate as easily as it does most of the time. But recently she has been very steadfast in her game plans so I don't worry too much for that.
Nozomi always amazes me. For her tiny stature, she bounces like a radium ball all over the court and gives you back with interest. Sindhu need to make her unbalance by playing high clears and cross court smash which definitely shake Nozomi.
NOs gameplan needs to be dominating the centre and the net during rallies and making PVS run and depend on angles; she wont be able to win those rallies where she is pushed to the backcourt.
I think Okuhara will win it. It's the end of a long week and she's had some tough matches, but she's shown her super-strong desire to win in back to back three-setters against someone who has arguably revolutionized WS and perhaps more impressively, Nehwal and her 1-6 H2H. While sheer will alone won't carry you to victory, it can carry you over the finish line.
Making her running sides and half diagonals is better tactically than making her running full diagonals, since her threat increases exponentially the closer she comes. She has to be beaten by percentage movement and deceptive strokes and creating openings; since despite Sindhu being fitter; Nozomi isnt sokeone who will lose out on stamina or energy. This is a girl who can play 5 straight 90 min matches successfully. This is a girl who will look out of breath in G2 and yet will be moving without huffing in G3. That last sentence is as much a strategic fact for the ladies' game as are Marin's screams. The repeted acts of being out of breath in G2 is just that, an act. And opponents always fall for it hook, line and sinker. They let their guard down and diminish their intensities and out she comes in pouncing like a tigress waiting for a mentally cornered prey.
Sindhu said in her post match interview. “Winning today was important as I wanted to change the colour of my medals” said Pusarla, who has two bronze medals from past World Championships. “It’s a great feeling to be in the final, but it’s not over yet. Looking back, the win over Cheung (Ngan Yi) made a big difference as I came back from the brink of defeat.” Congrats to Cheung(Ngan Yi). She played really well and almost defeated her.
Yeah, but what about muscle condition and glycogen stores and mental fatigue? Can those aspects recover in time for the final?
It ALWAYS has in the past for Nozomi Okuhara. Hasnt it? If there were a stat for average time on court per match over a career, Nozomi would be on top of that list. Ditto for average shots per rally.
