On the whole, I'd say Marin is still the better player but temperamentally lost it today. Still ample room for improvement from Chen Xiaoxin, very promising. Way to go, CXX !
To cap a wonderful night of badminton Fitrani beats Cheung ( another three setter) to join her compatriot Gregoria in the next WS round.
The biggest surprise of first round happens in women's singles category, Chen Xiaoxin stunned the Olympic Champion Carolina Marin, 21-12 / 10-21 / 22-20. The Spaniard led most times in deciding game, 9-5 then 13-8, it looked like Marin would secured last sixteen spot but a really determined Chen XX didn't give up to level the scoreline until 18-18, the change of momentum saw world number 33 Xiaoxin to save four match points, 18-20 to 22-20 as two-time world champion seemed lost concentration at end of match. Earlier in the afternoon, two Chinese players were sent packing early, Chen Yufei lost to local hopeful Gregoria Mariska and the lacklustre He Bingjiao succumbed to Sayaka Sato. Other notable name who couldn't pass opening hurdle is Ratchanok Intanon, defeated by former champion Saina Nehwal. Top contenders march on to next round, Tai Tzu Ying, Pusarla Sindhu, Akane Yamaguchi, Sung Ji Hyun. Two seeded pairs faltered at top half of mixed doubles draw, home favourite Jordan/Susanto and Danish veterans Fischer/Pedersen. Third seed Zhang N/Li YH conceded walkover due Li Yinhui was injured. Another unexpected defeat saw Thai rising duo Puavaranukroh/Taerattanachai lost once again to Goh SH/Lai after THA GP Gold semifinal recently. The All England champion Lu K/Huang YQ had hard times to overcome Isara/Amitrapai, dropped first game, 15-21 then bounced back to take next two games, 21-16 / 21-17. The Olympic Champion Ahmad/Natsir were pushed into the limit by Korean new scratch pair Kim Duk Young/Kim Ha Na in 72 minutes marathon match. ROUND OF 32 (MS, MD, WD / 10.00am) => https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/...3A06FB-E57B-487D-8866-ADC83F07997F&d=20170614
After Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao's disappoiting R1 exits, Chen Xiaoxin's unexpected but spirited showing, a victory over Marin no less, is exhilarating indeed.
Sun Yu's accounting for Yip Pui Yin's retirement in G2 after leading 7 - 0 and with G1, 21-10, in the bag was nothing out of the ordinary. Good but not outstanding, no comparison with Chen Xiaoxin's rousing victory over Marin, not least Marin's stature as one of the top WS player, a formidable opponent.
Too soon to tell but I had to agree here. CXX has the edge over CYF and HBJ in term of aggressiveness and mental capability.
Still early birdies but yeah CxX is impressive indeed, I've been following her for a year now. Really promising prospect for CBA to redeem themselves after the golden trio. Let's see how far and how quickly the youngster rises. I thoroughly enjoyed the match CM was dumbstruck in the end And so was the CYF vs Mariska battle. Gregoria played really well, but that match also showcased CYF's stamina. She had loads of steam even in the end. Though a disappointing defeat. HBJ seems to go senior SY's way
Still early days. You can see she is determined and wanted to prove something. Her body language shows it. Let us give her some time and see how she does. But still, the victory is stupendous. Carolina Marin got yellow card for her behaviour on court. Even after getting Yellow card, she did not learn from her mistakes. She keep on shouting with fist pumping .
Yes LHI is playing against Shi Yuqi today. I guess injury woes kept him away after the Malaysia Masters early this year. This should be an interesting match between a skilfull veteran and China's rising star.
Just hope she's not another Srikanth-- beating an off-form Olympic champion is nothing to scoff at, but may I remind all that just about everyone has beaten Lin Dan (or Lee Chong Wei, or Ratchanok Intanon, etc.) at one time or another... Even Srikanth, for all the attention he garnered, has not been able to find just the right coach and approach for himself-- and 3 years in the professional circuit is about past time when top athletes like LD or LCW start switching/ changing up their gameplay... Producing a champ is more about individual nurturing than going through the paces-- that's why the only real champion the Li Yongbo/ Chinese system of gears and grinders has actually produced is Chen Long with his consistently uninspiring play... while they stubbornly wait/ look for the next new player who "fits" their "sure-win" system.
If BAM truly supports her decision, then they should actually prepare her for the Super Series-- as in preparing her with the strategies/ tactics she can use against top 10 WS-- even in the Sudirman Cup, she is playing "generically"... as if she is just warming up for the South-East Asian Games.
Lee Chun Hei seems to have stagnated, along with his doubles partners-- they are playing better, but still rehashing old strategies/ gameplay from 2-3 years ago... Tang Chun Man appears more competitive as he "fits" the current "meta-game" infused with fresh new players better... Anyway, HKG will need both Lee and Tang-- they play differently and will come out on top of different opponents... especially useful to have in team competitions. Don't be like CHN and let people figure out that you have just one "meta-game" for all your players in the same event.
