The Malaysia Open kicked off 2024.
The National Badminton Team's first Open of the new year saw mixed results.
In men's singles, the current National Badminton Team's top player, Shi Yuqi, lost to his long-time rival, Viktor Axelsen, in the semifinals with scores of 19-21, 21-18, 14-21, taking third place. Rising star Li Shifeng lost to Viktor Axelsen in the final, finishing as runner-up. Another rising star, Weng Hongyang, lost to his teammate Li Shifeng in the quarterfinals.
In women's singles, the National Badminton Team's top player, Chen Yufei, defeated her nemesis Akane Yamaguchi in a very close match, with scores of 23-25, 21-18, 21-17, which lasted a full 134 minutes before a winner was decided. He Bingjiao lost to Chen Yufei in the semifinals.
In men's doubles, the world's top pair, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, defeated local players, World Championships champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the final. Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi lost to Korean World Championships champions Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae in the quarterfinals.
The women's doubles was straightforward: Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan defeated Fukushima Yuki and Hirota Sayaka to win the championship, while the other two National Badminton Team women's doubles pairs, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, and Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu, took third place.
Mixed doubles suffered a setback. Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong defeating Seo Seung-jae and Cai Youting to win the championship was fine, but the other two pairs, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, lost to a German pair, and Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping also lost to this German pair in the second round. It was the Yasi Combination who eventually defeated this German pair.
Online, opinions regarding the National Badminton Team's performance in the first battle of the new year were naturally mixed.
"Honestly, it was already a pleasant surprise that Shi Yuqi beat Viktor Axelsen in the group stage of last year's World Tour Finals. His long struggle against Viktor Axelsen in this semifinal is worthy of praise."
"Exactly. This was Li Shifeng's first time playing against Viktor Axelsen this year, and his first time in his professional career. Although he lost in two games, both went to deuce, which shows that our National Badminton Team is fully capable of challenging Viktor Axelsen."
"It's unlikely Viktor Axelsen will defend his title in Paris this year. Many players can challenge him."
"But Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi were too disappointing, weren't they? Losing to Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk at last year's World Tour Finals was already unacceptable, and they lost again this year? They showed no spirit at all, just lost cleanly, right?"
"The one before, shut your mouth. Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk are steadfast in playing the mid-front court, and they consistently execute the push-to-waist tactic. You have a height of over 1.9 meters; try letting someone push the shuttle to your waist? If they don't make you look like an idiot, it means they went easy on you."
"Compared to Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, and Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin were more disappointing, weren't they? To let such a seemingly weak opponent beat two pairs in a row, and it took Ya Si to finally defeat them, is it really just falling where you stumbled?"
"Yes, everyone else's performance was acceptable, but Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, and Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin's really wasn't. They shouldn't have been beaten by the German players in a row."
"They underestimated them, obviously. I'm putting it out there: the National Badminton Team won't get a single gold medal in Paris! I said it. If you disagree, just give everyone a thumbs down!"
"What's the '0' incident?"
"Alright, alright, will arguing here solve anything? What we should do is have absolute confidence in all our athletes and trust their on-court performance. One match doesn't mean much; to draw the most objective conclusions, you have to look at all the year's data and matches combined."
"What the above person said is excellent, I support it!"
At Kuala Lumpur Airport, the entire National Badminton Team gathered.
Luggage had already been checked in by staff. This gathering was to discuss some matters, with more specific details to be addressed back at the Shuangliu Base.
The athletes' expressions varied. The men's singles, women's singles, and women's doubles groups were relatively relaxed, as they had all tried their best, and the results had not disappointed them.
The men's doubles and mixed doubles groups wore solemn expressions, especially the mixed doubles. Their performance at this Malaysia Open was truly terrible; if not for Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, and Ya Si maintaining the last shred of dignity, these two groups might have come away empty-handed!
Zhang Jun, the chairman and head coach of the National Badminton Team, stood before the athletes. During his time as an athlete, Zhang Jun was known for his robust physique and an incredibly powerful smash. As a coach, Zhang Jun's physique became even more robust, making him appear amiable, but no one dared to doubt his smash. Even after many years of retirement, Zhang Jun's smash still instilled fear in many players.
"Just a few words," Zhang Jun said. "The results across all five events are very good, especially the men's singles, women's singles, and women's doubles groups. The overall performance is very satisfying. If you find any shortcomings, correct them; there's nothing else to add."
"Mainly the men's doubles and mixed doubles groups, your performance this time was very disappointing, because such a performance does not match your world rankings and your true strength!" Zhang Jun said very seriously. "We'll have a summary meeting as soon as we get back to the base. Everyone, prepare to board."
Soon, the entire National Badminton Team boarded a direct flight to Chengdu.
Upon arriving at the Shuangliu Base in Chengdu, before everyone had even put down their luggage, Zhang Jun, with his backpack on, called all the athletes to the court. Accompanying him were a few young-looking players.
"First, I want to announce that these are the young players joining the first team this year. Everyone, come say hello to everyone." Zhang Jun stepped back and clapped to encourage them. Teammates smiled and applauded in welcome.
A young man with a Sichuan-Chongqing accent stepped forward: "Hello, everyone, senior brothers and sisters. My name is Lin Qumu, from Chongqing. I'm a men's singles player. I just qualified for the first team. I'll be relying on all of you from now on. Thank you, everyone."
Thunderous applause erupted.
A young man with what could be described as a delicate face stepped forward: "Hello, everyone. I'm Lin Yusheng, from Shanghai. Like A Mu, I'm a men's singles player. I just qualified for the first team. Please take care of me." He bowed and stepped back.
A seemingly honest but sturdy boy came out: "Hello, everyone. My name is Lin Sen. Uh... I'm from Nanjing. I'm a doubles player. Please take good care of me, everyone."
Zhang Jun saw that the players joining the first team this year had finished their self-introductions and said, "Only these three passed this first-team assessment. I hope you, as their senior brothers and sisters, will be tolerant and guide them more. A Mu, Yusheng, you go find Coach Sun Jun. Lin Sen, you follow Coach Chen Qiqiu."
The three stood in the formation.
"Second thing, summary." Zhang Jun took out his notebook, which contained some issues he had written down while watching and coaching matches.
"First, let's talk about the men's singles group. Shi Yuqi, in the semifinal against Viktor Axelsen, you could have tried to contest the landing points, but in the latter half of the third game, you didn't use it. Instead, you started playing clear-and-drop. Do you really think you can beat Viktor Axelsen by playing clear-and-drop?"
Shi Yuqi pondered for a moment and said, "Coach Zhang, at that moment, I thought my technique could compensate, but facts proved I was wrong."
"You were indeed wrong, very wrong. Viktor Axelsen's smash is heavier than yours, and his drops are sharper. If you had consistently contested the landing points, it's hard to say if Viktor Axelsen could have beaten you. Next, Li Shifeng. When playing Viktor Axelsen, you clearly could have played clear-and-drop with him. Why did you try to attack? You can't play a technical game like Shi Yuqi, so why did you try those shots? If you had just played clear-and-drop honestly, you could have been evenly matched with Viktor Axelsen. If it weren't for those high-error technical shots, you really might have won that match."
Li Shifeng lowered his head, silent.
"Weng Hongyang. You lost to Li Shifeng. Actually, your consistent offense and defense were fine, but where you miscalculated was overestimating your offense. You thought smashing the sidelines could break through Li Shifeng's defense, but you didn't expect Li Shifeng to keep up completely. When the coach isn't present, you need to know how to adapt. Inflexibility won't bring victory."
Weng Hongyang nodded, indicating he understood.
"Women's singles group... The summary for the women's singles group is one sentence: as expected. Chen Yufei won very toughly. Akane Yamaguchi is not an easy player to deal with. To still win after playing for so long, you are truly amazing."
Chen Yufei nodded shyly.
"He Bingjiao, you still played too conservatively. That's not your playing style. Stick to your playing style, don't overthink how to play. Play more decisively, and most problems will be solved."
He Bingjiao nodded in acknowledgment.
"There's nothing to say about the women's doubles group; they had the best results.
"Men's doubles group."
The men's doubles team members felt a bad premonition.
"First, I'll criticize Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi. Liu Yuchen can handle flat drives, but Ou Xuanyi, why did you pull the game into flat drives? Don't you know that Koreans love to play the mid-front court, and focus on serve-receive and flat drives? Last year at the World Tour Finals against Hoki and Kobayashi, didn't you do very well? Why is it the same old problem this time, always wanting to compete with others in their strongest area, which is your weakest?"
Ou Xuanyi wanted to retort but couldn't. Indeed, during the match, Ou Xuanyi was frustrated by Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk's frequent scoring from the mid-front court, so he played very anxiously. Especially when Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk's flat drives and push-to-waist tactics targeted him, Ou Xuanyi's mentality was on the verge of breaking down by the end.
"Learn more about shot organization from Liu Yuchen, maintain a good mindset, and next time don't always try to challenge others with their bread and butter. Next, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang."
Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang basically guessed what Zhang Jun would say.
Service errors!
Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang are good at everything else. Wang Chang has speed and good net play, and his smash has improved; Liang Weikeng is known as the 'Little Cannon,' and his smashes, accompanied by short, powerful 'ooh' sounds, hit opponents like cannonballs.
But service errors have always been a criticism of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. A service error basically means getting nothing.
If not for too many service errors, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang probably would have won 2-0 against Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk in the semifinals.
"Service errors, service errors! Cai Yun called me many times, asking if I needed a service coach! Your service error rate is too high! After every practice, practice your serves more! Coach Chen Qiqiu, you are responsible for supervising them."
Coach Chen Qiqiu made an OK gesture.
"Let's talk about the mixed doubles group."
Coach Yang Ming stepped forward: "It's my problem. There was a problem with the tactical choices. I am to blame."
Zhang Jun told him to step back: "Now is not the time to discuss whose problem it is, but to first clearly state the players' problems on the court.
"First, let's talk about Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. You really shouldn't have lost to this German pair. The male player's smash isn't fast or heavy, and he doesn't have the defensive or splitting abilities of Zhang Nan. You shouldn't have been put in such a difficult position. The problem lies with you.
"Feng Yanzhe, why didn't you move after receiving a shot that seemed out of bounds? Your positioning and movement put too much pressure on Huang Dongping. You failed to share your teammate's pressure; instead, you put all the pressure on Huang Dongping. Even if Huang Dongping was fast at the net and good at defense, she couldn't withstand the opponent's relentless attacks."
Feng Yanzhe lowered his head, silent.
"Huang Dongping's performance was very good. She did everything a female player should do very well, and she also has a smash that can share the male player's attacking pressure. Next, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin."
Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin looked up at Zhang Jun.
"First, Jiang Zhenbang. Your judgment was... disastrous. You lost at least fifteen points due to your judgment errors, and these are points that can sway the match! Of course, for those extreme shots, there's nothing to say, the opponent was lucky, but you shouldn't have let some obvious in-bounds shots go."
"Wei Yaxin, your net-rushing speed is actually good, but when Jiang Zhenbang was pinned to the front court and you were in the back court, you didn't rotate. Your smash is still a bit weak, and why didn't you try using drops to transition? This is a basic skill. Were you playing too emotionally?"
Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin also lowered their heads in silence.
"Overall, this Malaysia Open was a mix of joy and sorrow. The joy is that we won the championships we should have, and the sorrow is that the two matches lost by the mixed doubles group really shouldn't have been lost. The European circuit starts in a week, and we'll basically be staying in Europe for a long time. Lin Qumu and Lin Yusheng, you will participate in the Switzerland Open. Lin Sen, you stay at the Shuangliu Base for training first. Alright, everyone, thank you for your hard work, dismissed."
Everyone dispersed. Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang were pulled by Coach Chen Qiqiu to practice serves; Shi Yuqi went to the physiotherapy room for treatment, as his ankle had undergone three surgeries; Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao returned to their dorms; Huang Dongping, Feng Yanzhe, Jiang Zhenbang, and Wei Yaxin were called aside by Coach Chen Ming for psychological counseling. He didn't want the players to become negative due to this loss; Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan went to train with Tan Ning and Liu Shengshu.
Lin Qumu and Lin Yusheng went to a court and asked Coach Sun Jun for some guidance.
"Come on, play to eleven points. Show your strongest abilities," Coach Sun Jun said, bringing five new tubes of shuttles and tearing open the plastic film.
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Note: This piece was written long before this year's Malaysia Open. All scores are purely fictional and should not be taken as reality. Future match scores will also be fictional and should not be taken as reality.
Celebrating Shi Yuqi's triumph over Viktor Axelsen, regretting that he couldn't win the championship.
Celebrating women's doubles sweeping both gold and silver.
Celebrating Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang overturning the 'Black Tower' (Honestly, based on Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang winning championships by sacrificing other teammates, did Shi Yuqi lose to Anders Antonsen because he was 'sacrificed' by Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang? *doge*)
Massive disclaimer: I am a fan of the National Badminton Team and support all National Badminton Team players.