Brice Leverdev's great victory over a somewhat listless Lee CW, nevertheless a memorable one, not for the birthday boy though.
BL has given his all to beat LCW but can he carry the winning momentum to the next game against TS? I feel that TS would have an easy passage to the finals.
I did say at the semifinal thread before you wrote that today's match with Tanongsak may be one too many for him.
I feel this is the beginning of the end of LCW. Many people will try to take a leaf out of Brice and beat LCW.
Renbo: 3 or 4 years is centuries in badminton terms... specially past 30. But LHI is specialist of retirement-come back-retirement scheme, which LD can study... Nice! But Lee plays like a sage surgeon, picking corners, while Lin Dan plays like Rambo blowing everything in his path. That's how they've always played, AFAIK. So if Lin Dan wants to enjoy badminton longevity he'll need to change playing styles...Grandpa Rambo can't handle the heavy artillery as of young. Not sure one can change playing style so late in so high a level and still be successful.
LCW looked lethargic and unlike himself, only showing flashes of his potency. Brice should have won the second set, if he hadn't lost focus (and laugh during interval). I suspect LCW has minor injury preventing full out effort. If not, that was a weary looking LCW in the whole tournament... If anyone wants to learn from Brice's cookbook: play LCW when he isn't himself, make lots of ridiculous net tumbles and call the doctor when LCW kills you with a marathon rally (no disrespect to Brice on this - brilliant move regardless of veracity).
Lin Dan plays like a illusionist these days with tremendous control. Without a good smash, he is a Top 20 player at best.
Good point, explosive badminton ,Lin Dan's forte and what defines his style,his trademark, is not for the aged and faint-hearted. Once past 30, he's forced to change his game to a considerably milder, tamer, for him that is, rallying stroke play a la Lee Hyun Il which even the latter would be proud of, except that Lin is not as motivated and disciplined in training, if I may say so. I relooked at his Rio'16 campaign, specifically his matches with K Srikanth, Lee CW and Viktor Axelsen, in G1 when his fitness and stamina wasn't an issue, his shot-making and selection, filigree technique, exquisite well-placed strokes and constant accurate manoeuvering, is second to none, delightful to behold.
