i would argue that today is worse for china fans than it is for malaysia fans.
who would have thought china losing 3(!!!!!!!!) of it's best mixed doubles pairs in one day:eek:. i remember before the wc's everyone was saying how china was almost guaranteed a gold in this category as they have so much depth! i guess not....
to be fair, they lost to the 1st, 6th and 7th seeded pairs, so they did play some very good players.
not a good day for china mixed doubles (lyb mainly) but a wonderful day for denmark, especially nielson/pedersen (congrats!) who destroyed the olympic bronze medalists.

It is a curse for China's XD. They never won a gold in XD for a period of 8 years after 2001. The last time they won a XD gold medal was in 2001 and the winner were Zhang Jun and Gao Ling.

yeh. one loss I wouldn't be too surprised (being Zhang Ya Wen/ Xie ZB)

but those 2 STRAIGHT-SET losses to the Danish pairs as well?? I simply cannot believe.

Even an all-chinese WD SF doesn't quite fully compensate for this...

the most interesting xd i've ever watched just now..juhl/laybourn vs zheng bo/ma jin..absolutely amazing:cool:
danish xd saves two match point to seal the match:cool::)

i would argue that today is worse for china fans than it is for malaysia fans.
who would have thought china losing 3(!!!!!!!!) of it's best mixed doubles pairs in one day:eek:. i remember before the wc's everyone was saying how china was almost guaranteed a gold in this category as they have so much depth! i guess not....
to be fair, they lost to the 1st, 6th and 7th seeded pairs, so they did play some very good players.
not a good day for china mixed doubles (lyb mainly) but a wonderful day for denmark, especially nielson/pedersen (congrats!) who destroyed the olympic bronze medalists.
..i wasn't one of them who guaranteed a title for CHN in the XD.
I did foresee all 3 of them reaching the Semis, though.
The way i ranked the CHN XD pairs going into this yr's WC:
1. Yu Yang & He Hanbin
2. Ma Jin & Zheng Bo (i know, i know, people tend to use their winning trend)
3. Zhang Yawen & Xie Zhongbo
4. Chen Xu & Zhao Yunlei

I could see ZB/MJ and XZB/ZYW losing, but HHB/YY's loss is a real surprise to me.

Aha! This time we have the same opinion. :D

Although ZB/MJ won many titles, I also still think HHB/YY is the real Chinese No.1 XD.

..i wasn't one of them who guaranteed a title for CHN in the XD.
I did foresee all 3 of them reaching the Semis.
The way i ranked the CHN XD pairs going into this yr's WC:
1. Yu Yang & He Hanbin
2. Ma Jin & Zheng Bo (i know, i know, people tend to use their winning trend)
3. Zhang Yawen & Xie Zhongbo
4. Chen Xu & Zhao Yunlei

..roughly the same opinions all along on many topics/issues..Just the way & degree we express/convey our point across..;)

I could see ZB/MJ and XZB/ZYW losing, but HHB/YY's loss is a real surprise to me.

Aha! This time we have the same opinion. :D

Although ZB/MJ won many titles, I also still think HHB/YY is the real Chinese No.1 XD.

Same here. ZB/MJ won most titles during the time YY was injured or under performed. Also, ZB/MJ made the name more or less due to the fact they beating LYD/LJJ multiple times. Overall, they still have a long way to go.

Sadly, XZB/ZYW's golden age was long gone, and I can see this might be ZYW's last WC for both WD and XD. :cool:

If both ZB/MJ and HHB/YY continue to under perform, I really wonder if the pair of ZB/YY will be coming out of the surface again.

Same here. ZB/MJ won most titles during the time YY was injured or under performed. Also, ZB/MJ made the name more or less due to the fact they beating LYD/LJJ multiple times. Overall, they still have a long way to go.

Sadly, XZB/ZYW's golden age was long gone, and I can see this might be ZYW's last WC for both WD and XD. :cool:

If both ZB/MJ and HHB/YY continue to under perform, I really wonder if the pair of ZB/YY will be coming out of the surface again.
i'm sure there will be more experimentation and juggling XD players around by lyb before the 2012 OG.

i'm sure there will be more experimentation and juggling XD players around by lyb before the 2012 OG.


what about ZB+YY (in SC), FHF+MJ, CY+ZYL.....

i would argue that today is worse for china fans than it is for malaysia fans.
who would have thought china losing 3(!!!!!!!!) of it's best mixed doubles pairs in one day:eek:. i remember before the wc's everyone was saying how china was almost guaranteed a gold in this category as they have so much depth! i guess not....
to be fair, they lost to the 1st, 6th and 7th seeded pairs, so they did play some very good players.
not a good day for china mixed doubles (lyb mainly) but a wonderful day for denmark, especially nielson/pedersen (congrats!) who destroyed the olympic bronze medalists.

Not trying to give excuse, but I never thought the XD gold will be a sure thing for CHN, especially if you compare that to WD or WS. With 3 pairs in QF, that already proven the depth, as no other nation can easily accomplish such.

Yeah, it took me a bit by surprise that none of the 3 going to Semi, especially HHB/YY, but if u look at YY's recent health, MJ's expereince (yeah, she did won some titles), and XZB/ZYW's opponent (LYD), then it's not too hard to know why.

Overall, LYB surely needs to have some HW to do, and I think ZYW's days are soon to be over, sadly to say.

Watched some of the china XD losses. Generally the China women are very strong but I think this leads them to not control the play in the way many of the european pairs and koreans do. Instead of maintaining the attack with man at front at all costs they are frequently in weaker positions. Also 2 of the top pairs (english) withdrawn so the XD was quite open.

ZB/YY should be a very strong pair, however that's kind of unfair to HHB... :cool:

what about ZB+YY (in SC), FHF+MJ, CY+ZYL.....

ZB will fail again, no matter paired up with YY or MJ.
Think about Sang Yang, Zhang Jiewen,....and the Gao Ling!
I hope I were wrong but sadly, history will repeat.

ok, maybe i shouldn't have said guaranteed a gold in this category, but too see not a single china pair in the semi-finals, let a lone finals is a big surprise.
actually, ZB/MJ and HHB/YY are pretty close. you guys need to remember that ZB/MJ have been together for less than a year, where as HHB/YY have been together for almost three

ZB/YY should be a very strong pair, however that's kind of unfair to HHB... :cool:

i see what you mean by pairing them together, but would you rather have one crazy ass strong pair or two top 10 pairs? it's all about depth!

... but I never thought the XD gold will be a sure thing for CHN, especially if you compare that to WD or WS. With 3 pairs in QF, that already proven the depth, as no other nation can easily accomplish such.


Whenever there are Lily-Nova and LYD-LHJ in the competition, only blinded CHN fans will think an XD title is a sure thing for China... These 2 non-CHN pairs have been winning World Championships and Olympic Medals in the past 4 years... Unlike the WS category where China's dominance and depth is more apparent, the XD category is very much up for grab!

i see what you mean by pairing them together, but would you rather have one crazy ass strong pair or two top 10 pairs? it's all about depth!

In general, I would rather have one crazy ass strong XD pair... :cool: Depth is surely a major issue in Thomas Cups and Uber Cups... :p but in individual competition, having one ace player/pair is a huugggeee advantage. INA had Taufik Hidayat in 2004 and 2005 that can win Olympic gold and World Championship... We were happier having one TH compared to DEN who had Peter Gade and Kenneth Jonassen in the top 10... :p

Due to the level of the female players, and the power/speed of the male players, it's an easy task for team China to produce 2 - 3 top 10 pairs (This holds for both XD and MD). What matters is whether they can produce a real No.1 pair.

i see what you mean by pairing them together, but would you rather have one crazy ass strong pair or two top 10 pairs? it's all about depth!

Due to the level of the female players, and the power/speed of the male players, it's an easy task for team China to produce 2 - 3 top 10 pairs (This holds for both XD and MD). What matters is whether they can produce a real No.1 pair.

Actually, in my eyes ZB /MJ is the real no 1 pair in the world. They have been the most consistent over the past 9 months and have won numerous SS + beaten LYD / LHJ 5 or 6 consecutive times. They just need to play more tournaments.

..i wasn't one of them who guaranteed a title for CHN in the XD.
I did foresee all 3 of them reaching the Semis, though.
The way i ranked the CHN XD pairs going into this yr's WC:
1. Yu Yang & He Hanbin
2. Ma Jin & Zheng Bo (i know, i know, people tend to use their winning trend)
3. Zhang Yawen & Xie Zhongbo
4. Chen Xu & Zhao Yunlei
Chris, it is Xu Chen, not Chen Xu. :D

it is shocking news, China has never missed any XD titles entering 2009. In another word, that's the miracle they made. While they lost many other titles, including Women's singles, women's doubles, men's singles and men's doubles. They have swept all XD titles in all tournaments they attended. But now, none of them even entering the final 4.

strange, very strange. China badminton team, except Zhang Jun/Gao Ling, just simply become impotent in BWF events. Maybe they just want to grab the prize money, nothing else. Especially Zheng Bo, this guy has won so many open tournament titles with Zhang Jiewen, with Zhao Tingting, with Gao Ling and now with Ma Jin. But no wc, no OG.

but china have their WD to make up for it!

Whenever there are Lily-Nova and LYD-LHJ in the competition, only blinded CHN fans will think an XD title is a sure thing for China...

Until Nova and LHJ is replaced, CHN will have a chance to crack these top XD pairs. There simply isn't anyone with LN or LYD capability in the CHN camp.

YY is powerful and MJ has the speed but LN is legend. If she gets a more consistent thumper (someone like ZB will be sufficient), thats WR#1 in the making. Likewise, if LYD gets a good consistent frontcourt lady (again, MJ is good enough), they are again a WR#1 material. Looking at how both LYD and LN has to keep picking up the pieces left by their partners is quite painful.

anyway, salute to both denmark xd pair...:)
hope they will all the way to the final:p

what about ZB+YY (in SC), FHF+MJ, CY+ZYL.....
ZB/YY should be a very strong pair, however that's kind of unfair to HHB... :cool:
ZB will fail again, no matter paired up with YY or MJ.
...
..as somewhat mentioned in this post #454; quite concur with supernova:
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1230362#post1230362
Chris, it is Xu Chen, not Chen Xu. :D
...oh, thank you for putting the Chinese way of writing his name back again..;)

so there will be NO chinese mixed double in the final of the wc this time;)

who's gonna wear the pants on a ZB/YY partnership?? =)

Whenever there are Lily-Nova and LYD-LHJ in the competition, only blinded CHN fans will think an XD title is a sure thing for China... These 2 non-CHN pairs have been winning World Championships and Olympic Medals in the past 4 years... Unlike the WS category where China's dominance and depth is more apparent, the XD category is very much up for grab!
In general, I would rather have one crazy ass strong XD pair... :cool: Depth is surely a major issue in Thomas Cups and Uber Cups... :p but in individual competition, having one ace player/pair is a huugggeee advantage. INA had Taufik Hidayat in 2004 and 2005 that can win Olympic gold and World Championship... We were happier having one TH compared to DEN who had Peter Gade and Kenneth Jonassen in the top 10... :p

and i do agree with krisna with all the points in the post:)

Until Nova and LHJ is replaced, CHN will have a chance to crack these top XD pairs. There simply isn't anyone with LN or LYD capability in the CHN camp.

YY is powerful and MJ has the speed but LN is legend. If she gets a more consistent thumper (someone like ZB will be sufficient), thats WR#1 in the making. Likewise, if LYD gets a good consistent frontcourt lady (again, MJ is good enough), they are again a WR#1 material. Looking at how both LYD and LN has to keep picking up the pieces left by their partners is quite painful.

can we just pair up lyd/ln to fight china?:p

Will this major surprise continue in the near future?
Is this a brief major snag in the road for CHN XD squad?
With Nova retiring (soon), who will pick up the pieces for INA XD squad?

can we just pair up lyd/ln to fight china?:p

I was thinking also... but one talk Korean and another Bahasa Indonesia. Quite funny if they need a translator for communication :D.

Then again, LN was really sub-par last evening. Nova, OTOH, performed better than I thought.

XD and MD are still China's most vulnerable event although in the longer term, MD will likely show greater weakness.

Will this major surprise continue in the near future?
Is this a brief major snag in the road for CHN XD squad?
With Nova retiring (soon), who will pick up the pieces for INA XD squad?
i heard mohd rijal will be pairing up with butet next..
can we just pair up lyd/ln to fight china?:p
what about pairing up the young and the vateran? :cool: lee yong dae/gao ling.. korean domination.. call gao ling to migrate to korea:p lol, i just realised i was just daydreaming.:D:D:(.

...XD and MD are still China's most vulnerable event although in the longer term, MD will likely show greater weakness.
Although they've been consistent with the AE, having won the last 4 AE XD titles, incl. this yr, the XD event has been a touch & go event for the CHN squad. It's even more glaring after the departure/retirement of Gao Ling & Zhang Jun from the squad. The last time a CHN pair won a WC XD title was in 2001 (through GL & ZJ). The last time a CHN pair won an OG XD title was in 2004 (through GL & ZJ).
i heard mohd rijal will be pairing up with butet next..
...
Off topic: and how will they do as a pair??..:confused: