Shi Yuqi has finally "graduated". He doesnt play like its still work in progress. He plays his shots with accuracy and intention and can even add deceptions and delayed shots. One WIP shot he still has is his defensive lift to attacking players. Its not an attacking lift and is punished by VA and SK a few times. But overall his game has finally matured. He has beaten three of the best attacking players, which is impressive. His game against LCW is interesting. If he can prolong the first set, making LCW smash often, he has a good chance later. Chong Wei will try to dominate Shi with speed,power and deception to wrap up the first set. SY must not fall for his deceptions and be ready to defend the torrent of smashes. I am rooting for SY to win and prove that he has finally mastered the changes to his game since his junior days.
Great to see Shi Yuqi finally coming of age though he's still only 21 years old. Now I'd wish to see how he overcomes his nemesis, LCW, which I attribute more to his mentality issue than anything. Although one match victory over Viktor and Srikanth each at Dubai SSF doesn't really prove anything conclusive, it is a breakthrough performance that indicates he will go far, imho. I will give him another year to be consistently among the top 2 or 3, if not the best. The potential is there, the best, perhaps scary, part is he is capable of improving further; personally, I wish to see more mental toughness in him, which I believe would come as he matures and accumulates experience going forward.
I'm afraid Shi Yuqi not only lacking in confidence and mental toughness when playing certain opponents, he is also wanting in deception and the ability to keep the opponents guessing.
I'd have thought, after his come-from-behind victory over Viktor yesterday, SYQ is psychologically boosted and pumped-up today in the repeat match with VA today, but it was not to be. Apart from his blister on his left leg affecting his game in the second half of G2, he simply has no fighting spirit, the never-say-die attitude.
I don't know why he doesn't work on his net play. It has potential to become special but is so sloppy at the moment.
He uses the wrong gamepln when he lost to Axelsen, should just play long rally and grind Axelsen down.
Heartiest congratulations, Shi Yuqi, for capturing the All England 2018 crown. I hope this is only the beginning for many successes to come. Believe in yourself, Sh Yuqi, you can do it ! May you soar to greater heights going forward. Jiayou !
I wonder what was going through Lin Guipu's mind when he saw SYQ on top of the podium last night, not forgetting also Xue Song. LGP used to be on par and sometimes better than SYQ in their junior days and XS was his senior cohort in the AJC when he (SYQ) was only15 or 16. Sad that they, as some one mentioned, are not even in the list of players to be sent for competition this year. How bad can an injury be for a youngster? One SYQ is not good enough for China. It needs 4 other good players, say Zhao Junpeng, LGP ,Sun Feixiang and hopefully,XS ,to clear the way for one another to win MS in any major tournament in the future. It was mixed feelings for me last night. Sad because LD couldn't win his 7th title and happy because SYQ has finally come of age. It was vintage LD in the first 2 games especially the second. The 3rd game was just too much for an old Mercedes running against a tip-top new Ferrari. Had LD won the first game the story could have been different. Uncharacteristic mistakes, not less than 5 of them, in the first half of the 3rd game put paid to his chances.
Well said, my sentiments exactly. Precisely, one Shi Yuqi is not enough. Lin Guipu is still only 20 years old, and Xue Song at 24 should have some good years if he's fully recovered, what a shame. If both of them can make a comeback, that'll be great. Just hope for the best. Zhao Junpeng last week at the German Open stretched Shi Yuqi to the limit based on the score, hopefully,it's a sign that he's finally making good progress. As for Sun Feixiang, he's another hopeful. We'll see.
Im happy for Shi Yuqi, but I dont see him becoming a top player like Lin Dan or Chen Long. His movement always looks very labored and wasteful. If you notice, he takes an extra step to get to the corners that Lin Dan and Chen Long dont take.
Frankly, at the moment, I never once thought Shi Yuqi could be like Lin Dan one day, Lin Dan is a hard act to follow for anyone, but I think he can be as successful as Chen Long in good time, hopefully more consistent than him in all categories of tournaments, not only the majors, team or individual. Personally,I believe he still has room for improvement, in terms of skills and fitness he has made substantial progress, but my concern is his mental aspects of the game, such as being steady and composed, determined and tenacious, a thinking and analytical player and, most importantly, be resilient and mentally strong in trying situations and during difficult moments, esp in crucial matches.
I am also thinking that Shi Yuqi felt less pressure playing Lin Dan in the AE final than if he were to play LCW had Lin Dan not disposed of him in the QFs. Would SYQ's self-confessed sort of LCW-phobia starts acting up despite being in excellent form throughout the tournament? I don't know, it might or might not, but whether SYQ could mount a strong challenge to LCW by overcoming his psychological barrier should they meet in the final is an open question. I supposed we've to await their next meeting to get the answer, only then would we know that SYQ has finally arrived. It's my belief that what's holding back SYQ from reaching the top of the heap eventually is more the psychological than physical aspects of the game. The good thing is he has both time and age, now 22, born 28th Feb 1996, on his side.
Congratulations Shi Yuqi for winning the AE Championships. Its every badminton players dream to win this prestigious tournament. In this tournament and the final, SYQ showed he is ready to take on the best. He has great defence against smashes, very good defensive placements when pressured, great pickups when stretching to retrieve good drops by his opponents and great composure, knowing he has all the shots in his repertoire, i.e. he may lose a few points, but he knows he can get back into the game. He managed to overcome two great players,i.e. Chen Long and Son Wan Ho, which was a test of his mental strength. The final was quite a good match against a great legend who was determined to win. But SYQ was confident. He didn't look like he was sweating or breathing heavily. In fact he has been training on these aspects of the game for a long time. Good balance, composure, good footwork, retrieving ability, net play etc. But one thing in the final which was different from his previous games was the smashes against LD. It was unexpected and powerful. LD could only stand in amazement at the smashes in the third game. If SYQ can unleash smashes like this in future I am sure he can take on the best. But as the comments rightfully point out he still has to beat LCW,VA ,SK and a few more before he can claim to have arrived.
Shi Yuqi v K Momota. Frankly it wasn't unexpected. KM is a very good player. Noticeably he plays with different speed and attitude in the 1st and 3rd game. Its variable in that he is faster and attacks more in the 3rd game. Its as if that was his game plan. Once KM took the first set he was confident of winning unless SY could surprise him with a devastating game. SY on the other hand wasn't going all out to prove a point in this match. This is their first encounter. He played calmly and accepted the loss as a learning experience.
She ? I get your point.The contrast between g1 and g3, like two different Shi Yuqi - one fighting like a warrior, the other a wuss. It's not for lack of technical skills or talents but the absence of fighting spirit and determination. Simply put, SYQ lacks inner belief, I remember how he talked about his chances before taking on LCW the last time, admittedly no confidence, a self-defeating attitude. No matter how nice a character you are in life, once you stepped onto the court, your only objective is to beat the guy standing opposite you. Even Wang Xin is known to be demure off court but a tigress on court.
