What a waste , Sun Yu, losing a match she should've won against Marin today at the Denmark Open PSS QFs, first in G1 when 19-16 up and then in the third when she was leading more than half the way by as much as 5 points only to lose the see-saw deuces, 23-25. Throughout the match, Sun Yu's DTL and x-ct smashes, her forte, were few and far between, she played too conservatively and often ceded the initiative to Marin when she should be the one dictating the rallies a bit more. Whenever she is in the lead or near the finishing line, she tended to play safe and let up, afarid to make mistakes or hoping for the opponent to err. That, to me , is not the right mindset to adopt. Instead she ought to keep piling on the pressure or even up the intensity to break the opponent's spirit as well as buoy one's self-confidence and inner belief. A tough mentality is what I wish to see in her going forward. The same goes for all the other CHN MS and WS players, generally speaking.
Frankly, I'm so disappointed that Sun Yu let Marin off the hook twice, first in G1, then in G3. Before the start of the match, I've thought she has the game to beat Marin - she has but just not getting it right when leading by a clear margin or at the crucial stage. I hope Chen Jin recognised where the problem lies and pay a bit more attention to developing the mental aspect of the game for his charges. He himself is quite a steady player, not too sure if he has the psychological understanding and knowledge to work on that issue for his players.
Actually Sun Yu played very well today. She covered the court so well and made very few mistakes. But she usually cannot last 3 games. After she lost the first games, I thought the match's over. Surprised that she could fight till the last point. As the commentator noticed that both her knees were heavily wrapped. As such a young age, does she really have knee problem already? Otherwise, look like she is ready to take over the Chinese WS.
Skills-wise, she is more or less there already though I still think she hasn't peaked, that's good, but mentally she doesn't appear strong enough, esp the way she handles the crucial points or when she's having a clear lead. I mean I'd like to see her force the issue more with added aggression without letting up and making full use of her height and reach to intimidate her opponents, if she wants to be like Chen Long at his best. She has the physicality to do it though not fast enough in her movement, unlike Chen Long who covers the court effortlessly with superb retrieving ability, taking the shuttle early more often than not and turning defense into attack now and then, adding to it, the power of his thundering smashes. Sun Yu is more suitable to play the power game than He Bingjiao whom I feel has the natural disposition for deceptive stroke play with the occasional sudden injection injection of pace, not all out fast and furious attacking game. Talking about He Bingjiao, her fitness level is still suspect, room for improvement despite getting better. It seems to me that Chen Jin is lately trying to change her to a more ferocious offensive player and wean her away from relying too much on her deceptive stroke play which has all along been her natural inclination. Apparently, she has yet to strike the right balance. He Bingjiao is a smart girl, I'm optimistic she'll get there soon, becoming the optimum all-rounder.
Don't be se hard on her @Justin L. Sun Yu actually played very well but she Is just not top 3-5 player. HBJ has better potentional in my opinion. She simply doesn't have the mental edge. I rewatched the decider from 14-6 and Marin really upped the tempo and her game overall. They had about the same amount of unforced errors but Carolina played 14 winners compared to Sun Yu's 3.
Sun Yu lost when she should've won it 2-0 or at least 2-1, failing to close out the 1st and 3rd set that was hers to lose. If she had Wang Shixian's steadiness and determination, I believe she would prevail over Marin and even went on to land the Denmark Open PSS WS title. I mean , when WSX could beat Marin 3 out of their last 4 meetings and WYH prevailed the last two encounters against Marin , I'm fairly confident Li Xuerui could too if not for her mental fragility in the individual majors and I also feel justifiably that both Sun Yu and He Bingjiao have what it takes to come out on top against Marin more often than not as well. For Sun Yu, it's about being dare to take chances by sharp and forceful play while He Bingjiao's problem is still her lack of fitness or stamina, basically, in my humble opinion. Li Xuerui's problem is harder to address,I fear not even sport psychologists can do much for her ingrained self-induced mentality issue, it's really in her own hands, ultimately. Let the future tell.
Watching the Akane Yamaguchi - Carolina Marin Semifinal match at the Denmark Open PSS in G2, you can tell Marin is a risk-taker whereas, I'm talking about Sun Yu, she is risk-averse, esp when in a good lead or sensing victory. That's the difference in mindset between Marin and Sun Yu. I'd very much like to see Sun Yu put more pressure on her opponent with increased offensive play,specifically straight down-the-line and cross-court smashes with a little tighter margin or fast, steep drop shots which with quicker movement and, better still, anticipation, she has the height and build to execute to scintillating effect,instead of playing too many punch clears or always and predictably lifting whenever the opponent plays a net shot. Sun Yu should have the confidence and courage to suddenly inject pace now and then to go on the attack with venom but executed in a timely and decisive manner whilst at the same time mindful of the opponent's possible good returns with interest forcing you to scramble for it but it's a risk worth taking, sacrificing a couple of points for greater advantage. I have to admit Marin thrives under pressure while most players would tend to be hesitant, overly cautious, even wobble or, worse still, crumble when it comes to the crunch. But I noticed Marin did occasionally showed uncertainty and wavered, allowing the opponent to come back. In other words, she is not that supremely confident or mentally tough as we thought she is but, still, on the whole, she is in the mental aspect stronger than all her rivals so far.
Sun Yu's game plan from now till Tokyo 2020 is simple. 1. Stay in rank top 10 2. Minimise the risk of injury. 3. Improve stamina, agility and skill bit by bit 4. Win a few big titles, especially team event (eg, Uber Cup, Asian Games)
I am not a sport psychologist. But I don't think you can change a person's personality in a fundamental way. She is who she is. It is not necessary for Sun Yu to win the World Championship. Winning the WC title is bad luck for the Chinese WS team. Sun Yu's ultimate goal is of course to win gold in Tokyo 2020.
I can't agree with you more on your opening statement, both Lee CW and Li Xuerui are typical examples, there's not much any sport psychologist or mentors can do for them, except themselves, that's the crux of the problem. But, somehow, intuitively, I don't feel that Sun Yu's mental issue is that serious or problematic; at age 22, she can still overcome it with experience and maturity - just dare to play and win, don't be afraid to lose, it's not the end of the world. It's OK at this early stage of her career to suffer one or two hard knocks, that's the advantage of youth for her. Persistent perfection , perseverance, and inspiration are what is needed from her. She's already endowed with the physicality, talent and skills. Go for it. Just do it. JiaYou !
I can't help but repeat my point here from the tournament thread, Sun Yu is such a big, tall girl with long legs, if she can be quicker on her feet, I daresay her game is up another level immediately. And as she continues to refine her strokes as she gains in experience, she'll be truly formidable as her counterpart Chen Long in MS. As for He Bingjiao, she is more suitable to play like Lee Hyun Il, the master stroke player, and with the occasional sudden injection of pace a la Lin Dan in his younger days, however a hard act to follow, I believe she'll reach the top one day. Of course, it's an if , how big an IF, I'm not sure. Let the future tell.
I feel that Sun Yu is a placid character, that's how I view her, basically even-tempered whether on or off court. She is unlike Wang Xin who was demure off court but aggressive on court playing fast and furious attacking badminton. It appears to me somewhat problematic for Sun Yu to develop a ferocious and tenacious streak in her game which is needed to capitalize on her height and build advantage to the maximum, it's just not her nature (reminds me of another tall player, Bao Chunlai). If it turns out to be difficult to do for her, then at the very least work on her speed of movement so that she can take the shuttle as early as possible with better options. I believe just speed of movement alone, if not power and aggression in badminton terms, can raise her game another level. In other words, just being quicker on her feet, and she has long legs to take big strides, is itself a significant improvement, threatening and intimidating to her opponents (think Viktor Axelsen). Specifically, I also strongly feel that Sun Yu should dare to smash more, even if 3 out of 10 times the shuttle come back with interest, there is on average about 70% chance of winning more points than not, thus a risk worth taking. Of course, doing that requires a lot of energy, therefore she must train herself to be a physically supremely fit athlete with the stamina and endurance to keep going no matter how capable the opponents are in retrieving ability. Only then will she be able to break down her opponent's resistance and defenses with relentless attacks coupled with excellent defence herself when needed. In this regard, Chen Long is quite successful which he ably demonstrated at the Rio Olympics to sweep aside all opposition to take gold.
One more thing I've noticed about Sun Yu whenever she faces a crucial situation or on the verge of victory,she tends to waver and loses focus. And this inability to stay calm and handle pressure well can prove to be costly, esp in big matches. As it is, she has been in seven finals up to now and losing all of them. If she continues to fail to get out of the rut soon enough, I'm afraid it may develop into a phobia or a kind of demon in her adversely affecting her inner belief and self-confidence. As we know, psychological issues are the most difficult and problematic to deal with. Li Xuerui's example comes to mind albeit only affecting her at individual major championships. Let's see how it goes for Sun Yu going forward, fortunately she is only 22 years old, born 28 Feb 1994,there's still time for her to address the issue.
Psychology may improve. 22 yo is a good age in Life, generally. It's a time when you start to "find yourself" and begin figuring out your own path to improve on your strengths and weaknesses instead of just childishly trying to please your elders, or blindly following peers. If this maturity is true in sports, as well, there is every reason to believe that Sun Yu will find self-believe and passion to convert her skills into more and more victories. There is a lot to like in her game.
In today's fast-paced world in the sport competition, the age of Sun Yu, at 22, is no longer young, just the normal age to make significant achievements. Let's see today whether she is able to create her moment in this closing tournament or not, passing her hurdle in the semi (she has a good H2H record against Tzu Ying). It is her time now to shine more if she can make out the best of herself.
But I've yet to see Sun Yu seriously emulating her senior counterpart Chen Long in power play and speed. By normal standards, Sun Yu is not really slow, but we are talking about badminton of the highest order, then she appears a bit sluggish to me. With her physical attributes, she can be more intimidating if she knows how to play to her strengths to overpower and frustrate her opponents. I make bold to suggest to her coaches to include some table tennis training in her curriculum, just to instil in her a sense of urgency and increased intensity, to build her speed of movement and reaction, to stay totally focused and alert at all times come what may. If not table tennis, let her do some doubles training regularly and seriously, not for fun, at least.
