Just as I had expected - they lost to the Malaysian pair who had more hunger in their gameplay. No initiative by Higashino at the net and they're both always lifting passively hoping to turn defence into attack. It didn't work because of Chan's dogged persistence and Arisa weak defence. Good luck for Thailand Open.
ya, better be safe than sorry, with the WC coming next month. Arisa has bad luck with injury this year, sudirman cup, the training camp, indonesian open...
Seeing how they lost the finals of TO to Wang and Huang...sometimes you got to admit, composure and management of nerves supersedes skill at the critical moments when playing at the highest level. They had all it takes to win and were evenly matched, even point for point but when they had game point in G1 they could not seal the deal. Then in G2, made uncharacteristic and even unforgivable mistakes (Watanabe). It's not everyday that either one of the Chinese pairs are out or withdrawn but they blew it. Come back (mentally) stronger.
It's gonna be tough, but Yuta has to choose to focus on only one discipline. He can't compete in both if he wants to win at the highest level. Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
MD is too competitive at the moment and especially having Endo who also can't control his nerves, I think it's best he focuses on XD. But that being said (I may be wrong), I feel like he progresses further and comes close to winning in MD in tournaments than XD.
Should Yuta concentrate only in one discipline? Yes. But there's not much pressure for him since there's no XD competition in the Japanese camp, unlike the WD. Plus his partnership with Endo will produce good results, assuming the other top MD pairs are under performing. For now, it's seem alright. He most definitely should only play XD at the Olympics where the odds of winning are much higher.
Definitely. The state of MD is just too competitive at the moment - even within the Japanese camp as Hoki and Kobayashi have beaten them twice in a row recently as well. Apart from the usual competition, there's the old guard that tries to come back like Ko and Shin, LYD maybe, then there's the upcoming guys like Shetty and Reddy. With MD, they need to play out of their minds plus a favourable draw to get to later stages of the tournament. With XD, provided they don't choke in first two rounds QF is almost always possible. For Olympics, if they were to find success, they're gonna need some other pair to take out either one of the Chinese pairs then face the remaining pair to stand any chance at a medal podium finish.
i think he should continue to do both for the same reason you stated: no comp in japanese xd. i view his md play as extra training for xd. i wouldn't want to see him stagnate so early in his career due to lack of competition in training like 99% of euro players do. playing md keeps him sharper and fitter. endo's done after tokyo 2020 anyway. as yuta gets older, around 25, i'd pare down his md obligations if another potential star japanese md player around yuta's age has not emerged. it looks like arisa is at least 95% recovered from her injury. her jump smashing had the audience gasping. re-watch game 1 @ 20-20... jump smashing on 3 consecutive strikes moving forward. i have never seen that athleticism from a female player before. they are my favorite xd team to watch. it feels like they are on the brink of breaking through the top 2 china pairs on a more consistent basis.
Their H2H with the Chinese pairs don't do them justice. They mostly lose by close margins and never due to completely being outclassed or anything like that. It's really about calmness when it matters. That's where the Chinese shine.
Yuta just signed with li ning!! Interesting. Usually if Japanese players sign outside of yonex, it's another Japanese brand (mizuno, gosen, Wilson etc)..i think he will play aeronaut 9000c?? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's really surprising. Do you have the link to the news? Edit: I saw it on the other thread. All good now
After seeing Jordan and Oktavianti win both the no 1 and 2s en route to the championship yesterday, it made me realise how poorly developed JPN XD is still and got me lamenting how this pair is still struggling to find consistency to win European pairs comfortably. Maybe they, too, need an ultimatum to start performing? Instead of complaining against umpire decisions, Yuta should just smash harder as from the looks of it, his disguised drops aren't cutting it. Seo/Chae, Puava/Taera and the two chinese pairs are now undoubtedly better than them at the moment.
ya, if Yuta don't attack and intend to use drop, drive, cross-court shots to move opponents around to find gaps, that approach will be difficult if the opponents are quick and has sound defend. plus he will need to be accurate in his shots. tough job for coach Jeremy Gan.
I made the compilation video of Yuta Watanabe!! collected his signature shots. 1. Backhand 2. Deception 3. Dropshot 4. Smashing
Yes. I agree with you. Yuta he is not a heavy smasher but he has a good Sargent jump and excellent motion in his smashing similar with dropshot
