He Yiming: “Li Xuerui will win”

At the eve of the final of the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open Superseries, Badzine talked to Hong Kong’s head coach He Yiming, who gave his ideas on his players’ performance as well as the names he sees on top on the podiums on Sunday.

Badzine: Are you satisfied with the performances of your players?

He Yiming: This tournament, 17% of my players played well, but more than 80% did not play very well. I did not feel they played well. I am disappointed. Maybe they had so many pressure because they wanted to shine in Hong Kong, but as a consequence they were not at 100% of their power skills. Our top players did not have the performances we expected, with only one coming back the second day. In men’s singles, Wong Wing Ki did not play very well and lost in the first round against Tommy Sugiarto. Hu Yun was brilliant against Du Pengyu, but he was then defeated in the second round by Mohd Arif Abdul Latif. And in ladies’ doubles, Poon Lok Yan and Tse Ying Suet were beaten the first day by a Chinese pair.

Badzine: What do you think of the global atmosphere of the tournament ?

He Yiming: Oh the tournament is very good! It is well-organized.  I prefer this new venue. The previous one, Queen Elizabeth in Wan Chai, was too small. If the players said some rude words, everybody could hear it! The level this year is correct.  The players from other teams play well. I think the public appreciate the competition.

Badzine: Who do you think will win the 2012 Hong Kong Superseries ?

He Yiming: It is really hard to say.  All I can do is guess. I find Lee Chong Wei better, but he is not at his top level, maybe 80%. The final will be a great match, as Chen Long already beat the Malaysian a couple of times. In women’s singles, I forecast a victory of Li Xuerui. I think she is in a better shape than Wang Yihan.