[TABLE="class: ruler matches"] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD]MD [/TD] [TD="align: right"][TABLE] [TR="bgcolor: transparent"] [TD="align: right"]Li Junhui [4][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR="bgcolor: transparent"] [TD="align: right"]Liu Yuchen[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [TD="align: center"]-[/TD] [TD][TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD]Pranaav Jerry Chopra [2][/TD] [/TR] [TR="bgcolor: transparent"] [TD][/TD] [TD]Akshay Dewalkar[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [TD]21-18 21-15[/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD="align: right"]0:33[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
This WJC MD champ Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen has been quite impressive in adult tournaments,the Macau GPG and here, we should see them tomorrow. They beat the INA MD Kurniawan/Septano in 3 sets yesterday.
Watch out for these two chinese junior pairs and one of them could be the Fu/Cai replacement if they can stick together for a while.
CHN sent a bunch of youngsters here, the oldest being the sole WS Deng Xuan at 21 - look what they have done here so far. They sweep the XD, WD and MD in all-CHN affairs, and the sole MS Xue Song is on song to the MS Final tomorrow.
OT: Li Na just won the Australia Grand Slam upon her 3rd attempt... she played quite steadily though her opponent, Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia), had problematic serves throughout the match.
And Deng Xuan came so close to beating Saina, even leading most of the way in G3. I'd attribute her loss more to lack of experience. This narrow hard fought defeat to Saina should stand her in good stead in future, instilling in her a belief that she can beat much higher-ranked, established players, and toughening her resolve to work harder and keep improving her game.
That's good news for CHN tennis. I believe it's a matter of time CHN produce more worldbeaters in tennis, esp. in WS. The sport is gaining in popularity steadily ever since Li Na won the French Open grand slam last year. What amazes me most about Li Na is she is a late bloomer playing her best tennis this couple of years and now, at age 31, she has won her 2nd grand slam in the AUS Open; imagine the prize money she earns, puts badminton to shame. Too bad, tennis is not my cup of tea.
This is the first time in indian history that two women's singles players meet each other in a final. This time, though it is a gpg final, it's a great opening for further improvement in this area. As usual, disappointment continues in the doubles area. Once again, china has filled many places in the final. I hope in future , many people in india will consider this sport professionally.
