I don't expect Wang Yihan to be relegated to the bench,not at all as among the 3 Wangs she is now the most stable and reliable, and LXR is still untested and inexperienced in such tournaments,the recently-concluded UC Prelim Stage isn't quite the same thing. My prediction is for WYH to play 1st Single, LXR to fill the 2nd Single slot, leaving the 3rd Single to either WX or WSX. Of course,this lineup is not cast in stone, any player who loses is immediately replaced.
except that LXR's ranking is below WX/WSX so the best she can do is to play 3rd singles. unless China decides to mix in the lower ranked players.
What kwun said. Not possible for LXR to play WS2 unless CHN are planning to concede WS3 with a walkover.
Look guys, this is the Korean Line-up which will give you an inkling of who China is likely to field from the WS department Korea WS team match order based on ranking: Sung Jihyun Bae Younjoo Hwang Hyeyoun Bae Younjoo willl be playing the second WS match and the one and only person who has the perfect head to head record against her is Wang Shixian So i think this will be China's line-up because you must remember Bae Younjoo is the WS2...do you think Li Yongbo will risk putting WX instead of WSX ? Wang Yihan vs Sung JiHyun (60-40) Wang Shixian vs Bae Younjoo (100-0) Li Xuerui vs Hwang Hyeyoun (100-0) - LXR will cannibalise her in public Should China proceed with the above order, then LXR has no chance to prove herself by excelling in team events...
korea has a history of one hit wonders in sports. ryu seung min won the 2004 olympic table tennis gold but nothing after that. if the korea uber cup team doesnt win, it will be another one hit wonder.
i see the uber cup is more interesting to guess, watch and follow, than the thomas cup. want to see soon.
My bad, I lost my head and forgot about the ruling,wishful thinking on my part. Imagine,China's 3rd Single as strong as if not better than their 1st. In that case,LXR will be hardly tested,there simply isn't any opponent she cannot beat hands down,besides if China wins 3-0 all the way,her services won't be needed as AlanY has pointed out. Under the present condition,China's 2nd Single is the most vulnerable,their weakest link,for I believe Wang Yihan the strongest of the 3 Wangs and she'll play 1st Single. Indeed, Kor's or Jap's best hope is to target the 2nd Single, the 1st Single is harder but not impossible;however,slim chance of any of that happening. In effect,with the addition of LXR,this CHN team is superior to the 2010 one, I think.
Speaking of witch, what's happening on the WD side...Yuyang and Wangxiaoli have been underperforming this year without winning a single title..is that a pretentious act to lower their expectation or they are dispensable force now. It's going to be Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian and Li Xuerui in the final..China shouldn't take Sung Jihyun and Bae Younjoo lightly..In fact, Sung Jihyun especially had an amazing record against Wang Yihan and Wang Xin...
For Wang XL/Yu Yang,I think it's back to the drawing-boards after their shocked loss to the Kor pair which ended their unbroken run of match/tournament victories - to correct any weakness,further hone their skills and raise their game even higher, seeing as their rivals are gradually adjusting to their high-impact, power play. China will be pulling out all their stops to regain the title and restore their pride, LYB's as well after eating humble pie the last time when he boasted the trophy was theirs for the taking. No way will he or his charges dare to take things for granted and under-estimate any contender. My worry is that being under such intensified pressure to win back the crown may cut both ways, make them more gritty and at the same time more nervous than usual,hope it doesn't backfire. A pity LXR's role is reduced to 3rd Single at most, wonder how many opportunities we'll get to see her play in such a big occasion. We are certainly in for a treat this Uber Cup, more exciting and thrilling than the men's edition,for me at least.
I cannot understand why CHN add Cheng Shu/Pan Pan to play as their third pair when they could have gone for pairs did better than this one such as Tangjinhua/Xiahuan or even Bao/zhong. To me, I feel it's taking up the space that could used for experimenting different combinations as a contingency plan should things do not go their way. They could have included Jiang Yanjiao in case the Wangs totally lost it and raised the possibility of team order reshuffling, then comes a time you need to push LXR for the WS2 and let JYJ play to seal the last point. As for the extra slot, they could let Majin sneak in on standby for any one of their WD players get injured, she could cover for them.
To be honest we shouldn't blame WYH for the loss in 2010. She was only 20 years old when she played first single for China in 2010. The expectation for her to win the first point was huge as compared with her opponent who nobody expected to win. I do believe she is much stronger now both physically and mentally.
Yup, high possibility either KOR or JPN, who will be drawn in same-half with China at knock-out stage.
22 y.o back to 2010 Beside WYH losing, the most shocking one is CHN WD also succumbed to KOR scratch combination, Lee Hyo-jung/Kim Min-jung and Lee Kyung-won/Ha Jung-eun.
That is another big mistake made by LYB....why did he go for this inexperienced pair if there's Zhao Yunlei/Cheng Shu at that time.. Partly it was LYB's fault for overestimating his team thinking it would be a straight win for China. His expression was priceless when they lost the cup. But still blame has to go to Wang Yihan because she was the one encouraged the Koreans to play better after her defeat. Had she won the game which she was supposed to then China would have smashed it three straight games because Koreans tend to lose when their spirit is broken, that Wang Yihan has failed, instead it backfired
Fret not, and let's not chide Wang Yihan too much anymore. I believe this time she will fully make amends for it, she's now a more mature,experienced and composed player, and probably more skillful too. At badmintonlink,I noticed a few simulation matches of the 2012 Uber Cup China Team, such as Wang YH vs Wang Lin and Wang Xin vs Han Li as well as Wang XL/Yu Yang vs Cheng Shu/Zhao YL, but without LXR, Wang SX or the 2nd Doubles pair. I supposed that should be the 1st three matches lineup. I'm quite sure LXR will be the 3rd Single trump card and not WSX. Look how dead serious China is this time, arranging such simulation matches to psyche up the players and keep them on their toes, they will stop at nothing to win back their rightful title. Actually,with such depth in talents,if China were allowed to field two teams,I'd venture to say even their B-Team,let's say comprising LXR,Jiang YJ,Han Li/Chen XJ including Doubles Bao/Zhong and Tang JH/Xia Huan, has what it takes to lift the trophy !
I half suspected it could be you, for besides China, I thought you've a soft spot for Japan based on your keen support for Sayaka Takahashi in the MAS GPG
