Sourabh verma got drummed by Lakshya Sen. He is even coached by National coach and Sen is without a coach. I wanna know what BAI say about the National coaching?. Does it apply to only Gopichand academy or players from other academies as well.
Akane , just like the Duracell long-lasting battery that can go on and on and on until the opponent runs out of gas. Poor Line K, running on empty in G3.
But she got up to a really slow, worrying start... I thought she is back to her "form" when she lose a series of games ... but oh well, glad she picked it up.
Axelsen has learnt to leverage on his height and reach very well to bring the shuttle down at every opportunity, and net control and fast intercepts. It may take a while for most of his opponents to figure out how to play him. I'd like to see how Momota plays him as the two haven't met for quite a while ,esp now that VA is on a roll with his sharp attacking game.
I realise this too. Axelsen is prone to player who play very well around the net and who is deceptive. Look at the game between Koki Watanabe and Axelsen during all England 2020. The way he made Axelsen bend low and high low and high and moving Axelsen around. I alway feel that Axelsen is tall which is an excellent quality for smashes but it act like an double edge sword for him. He is not a very agile player imo.
I thought he is agile for his height ... and has good reach ... but yeah, I've to agree with you that he is not the most agile player.
Loh Kean Yew, VA's training and sparring partner, is showing what's needed to play Viktor but still not enough. I believe one more weapon is required, just not sure what it is yet. But, no matter what, you got to read VA's game and anticipate his relentless attacks, which means your defence has to be superb.
You already got it right when you said his height and reach makes him agile in the sense that it makes up for any lack in agility as he doesn't need to move very much to get at the shuttle. Furthermore, today's Axelsen is even better than the 2020 version as he is more consistent in his attacks now, also less temperamental, so not too many easy points given away from him. Maybe what's needed is Momota's meticulous controlled game coupled with frequent injection of pace to keep Axelsen on the move and not allow him too much time to unleash his devastating smashes. Just saying. If I may humbly say, something like the best of Momota combined with the best of, say, Shi Yuqi of the Sudirman Cup Final, the best of both worlds, so to speak. If only it's that simple, in theory.
Looking at the MS draw after today, I believe we should see Momota in the final to face, most likely, Axelsen, if not, Lee Zii Jia.
You need to take into account that the shuttles here are ultra fast. That affected the game much more than the fact that they are training partners. I don’t think LKY would have won that many points if they had played last week.
Axelsen, currently at his peak, is a beast. Any weak lift by the opponent gets converted into a winner invariably! That is some serious consistency! I often cant help wondering that even the greats like LD and LCW would have been this effective and lethal at all at their peaks!
I admire Malaysian Players effortless jumps from the base position to smash a shuttle. Daren Liew's jump smashes are spectacular.
Ask your Sameer Verma who in the Thomas Cup post-match interview was asked what he thought of the current crop of top players vis-a-vis the likes of Lin Dan and Lee CW considering as he has played all of them before. His answer was very clear, today's Axelsen, Momota, Lee ZJ, Shi Yuqi, etc, are not in the same league as Lin Dan , Lee CW (and I think he included Chen Long, too; forgot where I saw the video).
I think you mean this video. He mentions LCW, Lin Dan, Taufik and Peter Gade. He is also honest enough to admit that the Indians are not there in the leagues of Viktor, LEe ZJ, Momota yet unlike Srikanth who IMO is still basking in past glory.
I thought BWF rules on shuttles says, the tournament organizer will test the shuttles to be used and choose the average of the speeds offered within the shuttle speed specified in the Laws of Badminton. I mean, how fast can they get. Even the drift in the playing hall has to be within acceptable limits. Besides, these are professional players, I'm sure they should know how to adjust their game accordingly. See the Laws of Badminton, Part II, Section 1A, 3. TESTING A SHUTTLE FOR SPEED, https://system.bwfbadminton.com/doc...- Laws of Badminton - June 2016 Revised 2.pdf And the BWF EQUIPMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME SHUTTLECOCK , https://system.bwfbadminton.com/doc..._140/folder_1_165/1 Shuttlecocks Overview.pdf BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION 3. TESTING A SHUTTLE FOR SPEED 3.1 To test a shuttle, use a full underhand stroke which makes contact with the shuttle over the back boundary line. The shuttle shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction parallel to the side lines. 3.2 A shuttle of correct speed will land not less than 530mm and not more than 990mm short of the other back boundary line.
Ah, yes, thank you. So, Chen Long's name wasn't mentioned but , in my opinion, he at his very best can be counted more or less in the same league as Lin Dan and Lee CW. Chen Long's defensive prowess, his retrieving ability is amazing, all those near-impossible saves as well as his counterattacking skill are stronger than his outright initiation of attacks - that's how he frustrated and denied LCW thrice in the major championships, two world titles and one Olympic gold. In my opinion, these three legends, Lin Dan, Lee CW and Chen Long in their prime are a notch above, if not a cut above, the current crop of top players.