I won't rule that out. Technically speaking, all is not lost for Lee CW and Carolina Marin, that's the good thing about group stage format.
1.56 m tall (short) Akane as opposed to the 1.79m tall Sindhu, what a difference. What Akane lacks in height and reach she has to make up for in speed, just like Lee CW.
Sindhu can do that at the back , bring the shuttle down sharply whenever her opponent's lifts aren't full range, and that troubles most of her short or shorter opponents.
That x-ct drive from the back corner to the opposite corner is also one of Tai TY's favourite whenever Sindhu's late to the the shuttle.
Sindhu has outshone Saina for good , I think. Even a 100% match fit Saina may not put the current Sindhu in her place like she used to do before, I daresay.
Even when Akane gets Sindhu out of position, she often still cannot finish off the rally, that shows how good Sindhu's retrieving ability is nowadays.
Akane hasn't got any really tall sparring partner back home, Sayaka Takahashi is not as tall as Sindhu, I believe.
If you don't have the height and unable to keep Sindhu guessing, you're forced to play to her rhythm and letting her dictate the rallies, then you're done for.
You've got to be really quick like Lee CW to neutralize your opponent's height and reach. If not, you got to play like Tai TY with unpredictable shots and high degree of deception to keep her guessing.
What's the link to the live stream? Seems like the Russian stream on the first page, http://videostream.dn.ua/, isn't working. Also, the BWF Youtube stream is also not streaming the Axelsen vs Ng Ka Long match. What stream is everybody else watching?
