Bao Chunlai and Lin Dan look like Zhao Jianhua and Yang Yang in the 80s. I bet these two will be superstars and dominate the tournaments in the future
I assume that Lin beat Chen Yu? The main and even the small scoreboard at the bottom of the commentary shows nothing of the quarter and semi-finals: probably scoreboard malfunction. So the finals will be a rematch of the the WJC semis won by Bao who went on to beat Doncorro (INA) in the finals. Lin and Bao are star material - imagine they were juniors in December, and Lin makes the breakthrough in the Malaysian and then lost the ABC finals to Xia (fixed?). Bao was finalist in Holland last week and now they are playing the finals in this 6* event. They have absolutely no problem with the 5x7system and the big names - Wong CH, Ong EH, Gopi. Chen a bit older, is not as versatile but remember how well he played in the Asia Cup? The China BA is rightly favouring him over Xiao Hui the other 'youngster' (losing Korean Open finalist to Gade) who has a much less spectacular style - a bit boring like Gopi's game. John
No matter what,it looks like the Chinese are going to dominate badminton world in the near future. Their youngster had made a tremendous improvement.
I've yet to see the 2 of them play 'live' so I cannot make much of a judgement on that. But I do believe that they will become superstars in their own right over the next few years or so. Whether they will be able to emulate the exploits of Zaho Jianhua and Yang Yang remains to be seen though. But as I've spoken to a player who has once played with Zhao Jianhua before, he has never seen anyone who plays the game with so much natural guile and flair before nor ever since. The key to Zhao's game is his speed and his deception. Even Morten Frost and Ardy Wiranata ever admitted during their days when they played Zhao Jianhua that he's the one player whom they can never hope to beat when he is on form. I seriously doubt if there can be anyone who played like him again. Its the same as asking if anyone can play like Michael Jordan or Maradona again in their respective games .... Possible but unlikely.
It was a tour de force in Holland and Denmark by the 3 very young players.Bao had to qualify for the Dutch Open yet he got to the final. Discussion about the next 2 Thomas Cups can only be about how many doubles the oppoents can win. Even here, track the 2 Chinese WJC doubles pairs who have already won matches in the Malaysian, Sinagpore and China Opens. If they match the great leap forward of the singles players, realistic disucssion may just be which country is going to be the losing finalist to China and by how much. I can't get over the way IBA ignored Rimarcdi, Agustinus and Doncorro - 2 finalists + 1 semi-finalist in the last 3 WJC's. Indonesian and world badminton have been badly served. Doncorro still has a chance at only 19 but he needs more inter'nal exposure to face and master match pressure. In the S'pore & HK Opens he won only 1 rd - in HK. Will IBA respond to the exodus of talent in the senior ranks? In China, players and management focus on the regimen, discipline and results for the next stage of development before any talk of reward and conditions but elsewhere, perks and conditions are starting points. The good life never made great sports stars - Rimarcdi did little after he went to Sweden, Gopi in Bolywood, and Wang Chen, Argus Haryanto in HK, Indra in Singapore have descended into mediocrity. They just get to represent the counrty but the good life corrupts absolutely. When you can enjoy the goodies without the hard grit and winning where is your focus? John.
It was a tour de force in Holland and Denmark by the 3 very young players.Bao had to qualify for the Dutch Open yet he got to the final. Discussion about the next 2 Thomas Cups can only be about how many doubles the oppoents can win. Even here, track the 2 Chinese WJC doubles pairs who have already won matches in the Malaysian, Sinagpore and China Opens. If they match the great leap forward of the singles players, realistic disucssion may just be which country is going to be the losing finalist to China and by how much. I can't get over the way IBA ignored Rimarcdi, Agustinus and Doncorro - 2 finalists + 1 semi-finalist in the last 3 WJC's. Indonesian and world badminton have been badly served. Doncorro still has a chance at only 19 but he needs more inter'nal exposure to face and master match pressure. In the S'pore & HK Opens he won only 1 rd - in HK. Will IBA respond to the exodus of talent in the senior ranks? In China, players and management focus on the regimen, discipline and results for the next stage of development before any talk of reward and conditions but elsewhere, perks and conditions are starting points. The good life never made great sports stars - Rimarcdi did little after he went to Sweden, Gopi in Bolywood, and Wang Chen, Argus Haryanto in HK, Indra in Singapore have descended into mediocrity. They just get to represent the counrty but the good life corrupts absolutely. When you can enjoy the goodies without the hard grit and winning where is your focus? John.
Gopi in Bolly wood. That is news to me.But i understand what u mean but i think it is more of the shift in point systems that he finds it difficult to acclimatise. I think he is still one of teh best in 15 point format.
Well, that bit about Gopi & Bollywood is all over the place; someone I know in London who also has a foothold in Bombay film industry, knows Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander, and they live the fast lane with the Bollywood glitterati; they say Gopi has been lionised since his AE win. It has been so highly rated that he won the best ahtlete of the year award ahead of criketting stars. John.
