I played a tournament about a month ago, and I was a little surprised by the outcome. I played B & C mens doubles. Honestly, I would probably consider myself a C- player because of poor tournament results from the past. I lost 2nd round for C this time, which I thought I could've done much better. But what made me more dissapointed was the fact that two friends of mine made it to C finals (and the only reason they lost in finals was because of injury). Though I wouldn't say I'm significantly better than them, I've beaten them just as many times as they've beaten me in matches. So what happened? Also, in my B match I was up against the 2nd seed. I didn't expect to score more than 10, but the scores ended with 21-19, 22-20. In the 2nd set we choked too after a 19-11 lead. Normally I'd be sad to lose after such a lead, but I neve even expected to score so much in the first place. They weren't playing for their lives, but they were certainly trying during that match. The 2nd seed also beat my C finalist friends 21-14, 21-10 the next round. So my question is how did things turn out like this? Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Is it because of the rally system?
About the B match, it could be that you're not expecting much so you don't feel the pressure to perform. You even said that you didn't expect much so you play like there's nothing to lose. Therefore you could play better. The other team could be suffering from injuries, or they're just having a bad day. In the C bracket, it could be that your friends had an easier draw, or it's just their on day where they just throw the racket and the shuttle goes over. You could also feel some pressure to do well because you think that you're capable of doing so. The C MD starts after B MD right? It could be that you're tired from the B MD. Lots of variables could contribute to the reason why. The rally point system can be one I guess.
What kind of tournament experience do you have? Tons of club play does not equal any tournament play. But some people have the ability to adapt quickly, this gives them an edge in tournaments. For most others (including me), tournament preparation (mostly mental) needs to happen early on (a few days to a week in advance). See, I never mentioned any skill level in the above paragraph. You may be a lot better than your friends skill wise. But assuming all are at the same skill and fitness level, the above factors play big role on tournament outcomes. Like bad_fanatic mentioned, you played better in the tougher group because you did not have set expectations of yourself, possibly. You just played your best. It is hard to explain, you will get used to the underlying pressure as you play more tournaments. This pressure is not from opponents. It is from your own self, trying to do best. Just try to do 'better' than your last rally/point/game/match - that is enough.
