I saw the interview with LYB. Personally I do not think that Chai and Hong make a good pairing. =/ Yes, they have achieved some quite good stuff in some tournaments in the first part of 2013 and especially at the tail-end of 2013. But I just don't think they mesh well together. First off, I agree with you, both are very tall and it's strange to pair them together as I feel both have the same playing styles and weaknesses, and nothing really very special. Both have incredible smashes, and Chai to me is quite good at mid-court. But both are hasty, make quite a lot of mistakes (especially Chai), seem to have trouble focussing sometimes, aren't too consistent, aren't particularly good at defending or very good at the net either. Neither of them are also creative players and there's not really a playmaker setting up shots for the other. Watching them sometimes it's just bam bam bam smashing at 100km/h to kill off their opponents haha. Individually I prefer Chai, though I think he plays the best when pairing off with slightly shorter, more experienced and older players like Guo Zhendong and Cai Yun and at CBSL level, Zheng Bo. I actually thought he played very well with Cai Yun. It seems like he's abit more steady with someone older there as an experienced guide. Hong on the other hand, incredible smash, but unfortunately like his previous partner Shen Ye, I honestly do not see anything special about him =/ I personally think the coaches are pairing them up simply because there isn't anyone else in the team to pair either of them up with. And Chai Biao has long been a victim of the constant changes in partners over the years, and I'm not sure it really helps him. Just my 2 cents.
I agree with you about HW/CH. They aren't really ideal partners. But I think CBA has decided to pair them up for the following reasons: 1) As you said, there simple isn't anybody else to play with (except Zhang Nan). Shen Ye and Guo Zhendong just were not good enough at the elite level. CY and FHF are too old and wouldn't be able to peak together for the 2016 Olympics. 2) Even though they are very inconsistent and awkward, they have indeed had some good results and wins over top players (Lee Yong Dae, Boe/Mo, Hayakawa/Endo) 3) Being that both of them are incredibly powerful from the mid and back-court, they provide a different style of play and that might throw off some opponents 4) I do see that CB is trying to learn from Cai Yun and does appear to be improving at the front of the court. I often wonder what it would be like to pair Hong Wei with Zhang Nan. Hong has great power, and Zhang is definitely more of a thinking player.
1) I wonder what happened to Shen Ye? I know Guo Zhendong started coaching the Junior team or some youth team after the Chinese Nationals last year in Sept, so he's no longer in the squad. Who else do they have.... gosh, they really don't have anyone! Don't think they will split Liu/Qiu, Cai/Fu will probably be split up here and there to play with the younger ones.. Kang Jun Liu Cheng? I personally like Liu Cheng's playing but unsure how the coaches see this pair (or will split them up in future) as they are the youngest pair amongst this 4. 2) I think those wins were good ones too, but I don't think this actually says much about their prowess yet, as I feel they haven't played long enough for us to see any patterns either way. Also, they have lost to Endo/Hayakawa once, although they won once. Boe/Mo weren't exactly in good form last year. They beat Lee/Ko when they were starting out at the Swiss Open (that was a really nice match). But in the middle of the year (Indonesia, Singapore Opens) they didn't get past the 1st rounds. Cause it's always the case that when a new partnership is formed, other pairs have zero experience against them and the new pair wins as a result (provided they are of a certain calibre). Also, I think this Chai/Hong pair have been playing in patches here and there it's so hard to observe anything concrete! But it'll be nice to see how they get on. 3) I think it does throw off some opponents. But this is also something I've observed - if opponents are able to keep the shuttles low, drive and do net shots more, and are able to counter-attack and not lift so much - I find this pairing just runs out of ideas. And that's cause they play too similarly. I think they would need other creative strategies than just straight out attacking. 4) True! I liked his partnership with Cai. I secretly hope they pair up together but don't think it will happen haha. I wonder the same too. Zhang is the 'playmaker' type, but actually when he was partnered with Chai Biao, I found it awkward to watch. Mostly because Chai was always making so many mistakes haha, & Zhang doesn't seem very consistent in his matches too (even in mixed). Interestingly, Zhang is partnering FHF in the Malaysia Open next week, whilst Cai Yun is partnering Liu Cheng. I think these two pairings will be interesting to watch. I have another thought about this too, to me it seems like the more successful partnerships usually have a 'thinker'/creative type in them (Lee Yong Dae's partnerships, Cai Yun, Liu Xiaolong, Setiawan) and co-incidentally these players are also good at the net. If they perform well, and if their partner doesn't make too many mistakes, they tend to win matches more often. So I don't know, perhaps they could groom either Chai or Hong to be better and more perceptive at the front.
Congrats to HW/CB for making it into the SF of their first tournament together this year. They beat some pretty good pairs, and have a good chance to win the title if they can stay consistent. They seem to be playing tactically much smarter and much more active with their movement. I love watching them smash. For the defender, its almost impossible to get the shuttle past the height of the front man, whether its HW or CB.
HW/CB make it to the final of Malaysia Open with a good chance to win over the home team. I hope they can get their ranking higher so they can finally get a seed. Their style of play has definitely changed since last year. They are playing much smarter. Their serve and return has improved dramatically since last year. And their net play has improved a lot.
If you haven't seen their latest match yet, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dfjrcFi7sQ It's a quite brilliant performance by the pair. Chai Biao really played well from the net, while Hong Wei's power was evident throughout the match.
For how tall they both are (CB's 183cm, and HW is 192), I find their speed and co-ordination absolutely phenomenal. The taller players I remembered like BCL, Vladimir Ivanov, and Park Sung Hwan just never had the speed they have. I've always though CB's been snubbed of a good partner, glad to see CB/HW having a shot at a SSP final.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Hong Wei is unbelievably quick for a guy so big. His foot speed and reflexes are pretty fast. And he can generate a ton of power from forehand or backhand on almost no backswing. HW/CB are very dangerous in the fast-flat driving exchanges. The power is the most amazing part of their game. When they get a lift, they win the point almost every time, maybe 80-85% of the time they win the point when they get a lift. It's almost impossible to get the shuttle past the front court player.
actually CB is 188. im not satisfied with their performance in this MO final. they clearly can do better than that. Chai/Hong are indeed fast for their heights but it always be the disadvantage when it comes to fast flat game and defends, which exposed in today match against Goh/Lim.
This pair really inconsistence, not as good as Liu Xiao long, and Qiu Zihan. I think china should gloom the next one from World Junior championship team up.
Well, give them credit. They beat 2 seeded pairs and 2 other good pairs in their first tournament together in months. CB has been playing with Cai Yun and HW has been playing with Fu Haifeng. So they haven't been practicing much together. On the positive side, making the final is a good result and the played very well for 4 rounds. If they can continue to improve and fine-tune, they should be fine. On the downside, HW got incredibly nervous and made way too many mistakes. HW seems to play poorly in finals, he actually was in the MD final a week ago in Korea SS. I'm not sure if they are actually "bad" at the flat game. In the SF they played fast-flat with endo/hayakawa and they played great. Maybe they were just too nervous in the final and they also seemed intimidated by the crowd.
They've done well. In the MO final, they would've won it if not for the home crowd support for the MAS. However they did lose countless points from soft and fast flat play, net play (which was dominated by Lim), and oftentimes from forgetting that Lim is a lefty.
Agreed. I think they've improved quite a lot from last year and look sharper in general. Chai looks better at the net after practicing with Cai Yun and Hong is great in the back. I haven't watched the full game, just caught some highlights, but thought the crowd were incredibly intimidating =/. Both of them were making quite a bit of mistakes as well, which tends to happen with them quite abit. Also, they lost on the fast, flat driving shots, especially from the front, so it's an area they really need to look at. I also think they need to look at other game strategies, in case the opponents don't lift the shuttle much for them to smash (which was sort of what happened here). Anyway, it was a great week for them, really wanted to them to win, but perhaps next time! Nice to know that as of now, they look like the No. 1 Chinese MD pair. At least for the moment.
^ Just something to add (gosh, I can't locate the edit button!). I watched some parts of the game already and God, I thought some of the antics coming from the Malaysian pair was quite..distasteful. Especially their reactions to the Chinese players. I'm quite shocked cause I've watched them before and never knew them to be like that. I'm sure they are all pumped up from it being their first Superseries Premier final and being on homeground.. and i can understand the adrenaline and excitement.. but.. still =/ On another note, I thought Hong was incredibly nervous. In fact, in this pair, I find him to be the weaker link. His defense completely collapses under constant pressure. And again, besides his smashes which are fantastic, he probably would need to work on his other shots (net, drive etc) which are really really ineffective.
couldn't have said it better myself. This pair has improved quite a bit from their previous showing, tho unfortunately due to their height. They're not as agile during fast exchanges and drives against the malaysian pair. If Hong Wei could work on this aspect then they could be a strong pair in China's MD line-up. Kudos to them for keeping their cool while playing in such a hostile environment. The showboating and unnecessary taunting revealed the malaysian pair's lack of maturity and professional courtesy to the chinese pair. I can understand they're young and will continue to grow but they're no younger than CB/HW. However, I did enjoy watching the match!
I always wondered why Zhang Jun is the head Men's Double's coach. He isn't particularly successful as a MD player. And his style was just smash, smash, smash, not much of tactics. I think Cai Yun or Tian Bingyi should be the head coach. Both are far more successful and creative as players.
