Can't agree with this one. Other than that monumental lapse at the WC, LXR has only injuries as her enemies. The Malaysia GPG Final went as expected. Adrianti Firdasari was a non-factor. It was up to Yao Xue to win or lose. Adrianti Firdasari probably did not expect to go so deep into the draw and had nothing left to test Yao Xue beyond the first half of the first game. While Yao Xue has improved in her techniques and physicality, her mental state remains rather suspect. She has a pretty good draw at the upcoming India Open. Let's see if she can make the best of that opportunity to shred her demons.
I wish I could agree with you on LXR and concede that I was wrong about her but, honestly, I'm very uncomfortable with her rate of unforced errors which is a significant shortcoming for any top , not to mention great,player. IMHO, she is more error-prone than her compatriots Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian on average, and if I were to compare her with Lin Dan, Lee CW or Chen Long, she would fare even worse. I really hope Chen Jin can help LXR cut down those simple mistakes and loose shots, as much as possible play every shot confidently and improve on her accuracy. As for her mental strength, only she can help herself as she matures and accumulates experience over time. Let's see what valuable lessons she has learnt from that the WC debacle which, in the positive sense, could stand her in good stead in future, esp in major championships. Back to Yao Xue. For the IND Open SS next week, she is up against Tai TY in R1, then she is likely to meet her teammate Liu Xin who should qualify and progress to R2, after that she is slated to face off LXR in the semifinal now that Intanon R, her probable QF opponent, has withdrawn - not exactly a good draw for her, I should say. Nonetheless, if she can progress to the semifinal and give LXR a run for her money, that'll be quite an achievement, proof that she is on the verge of a breakthrough. To me, Yao Xue , Sun Yu and Liu Xin are good enough to be in the top 10, it's just that CBA doesn't give them sufficient tourneys to garner the necessary ranking points which compounds the problem as they are often drawn to meet their top compatriots in the early rounds and face higher risk of elimination.
Be it LXR losing in WC2013 or WYH losing in Uber Cup 2010, there is one common factor: Zhang Ning. Thank goodness LYB had finally realised his mistake a few months ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEVxAS7HsUQ Interesting video of xue yao playing mixed doubles against lee yong dae. She's pretty good.
Two things are odd: Despite trailing badly all the way, she finds it all highly amusing! Song Zongyao is wearing a T-shirt borrowed from Tian Houwei!
Good find! That was the time that half of the Chinese team could not go due to Visa problems. Cheng Shu was the only WD player on the team and she partnered with Sun Yu for WD. Given the situation, they probably had a good laugh. And that's why Yao Xue was so relaxed. PS: Yao Xue had her knee brace on the right knee. It was on her left knee at Malaysia GPG.
Hi- Anyone know any latest information on Yao Xue? She's not even attending the China Open SSP this year (CMIIW). Thanks!
Yao Xue was recently demoted to the National 2nd Team after a round-robin tournament selection exercise. She also had some injury concerns and loss of form. I got the news from this Chinese article http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2015-11-05/doc-ifxkniur2893140.shtml of which I've humbly done a rough,partial translation here http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/132166-Chinese-Badminton/page22 (see post #369). Yao Xue was one of the CHN WS second stringers whom I once singled out for special mention as a promising exciting ferocious attacking player but unfortunately she has not lived up to expectations since winning the MAS Open GPG 2014. She is 24 years old now, born 17 Jan 1991, I hope to see her make a comeback soon. Perhaps she's a late bloomer ?
Justin, thank you very much for the info and the translation. Worth a lot It's rather unfortunate for her to be troubled with the injury. I still think that she possess decent quality on the international arena. But she's 24 already ya? Might be a little too late to bounce back?
Zhang Ning,born 19 May 1975, won her two Olympic golds,at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, when she was 29 and 33 years of age !
Of course there is always the Zhang Ning case! But perhaps an exception in CHN team, always having the strong support of LYB