WORLDS 2013 R32 – Wang Shixian: “It’s quite normal to lose one game”

After an 83–minute battle, against Pai Hsiao Ma from Chinese Taipei in the 2^nd round of the Wang Lao Ji BWF World Badminton Championships, Wang Shixian still showed her confidence off court.

By Renee Yang, Badzine Correspondent live in Guangzhou.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

Pai Hsiao Ma and Wang Shixian (pictured) had met twice in BWF tournaments in 2012 prior to their encounter today at the Wang Lao Ji BWF World Badminton Championships in Guangzhou.  Although Wang held the 2-0 advantage in their head-to-head record, neither of those had been easy for Wang, especially in the first game.  And today was no exception.

In the first game, there were so many long rallies and Pai Hsiao Ma (pictured) kept the score within striking distance until the interval, when Wang started to control the net by accurate placement and tried more attacking play, widening the lead to 17-11.  Pai gave a good fight afterwards but still lost the game 17-21.

In the second game, Wang made several unforced errors and lost 6 points in a row in the beginning, but she soon adjusted her mood and leveled the score at 8-all.  The two then competed a lot on placement, each trying her best to force her opponent to run all over the court with deep shots, drop shots and net play.

With the score was rising alternately, the passions of the crowds in the stands rose with it and the cheering after every rally brought the atmosphere to a climax.  In the crucial points, Pai showed her courage and her brilliant deception and net play.  Although Wang fought back with wonderful defense, she still lost it 21-23.

In the deciding game, Wang improved her deep shot while Pai was lacking stamina.  Wang led all the way and finally took the game 21-11.

“Now the level of all players is getting better and better,” said Wang during her post-match interview.  “No opponent is just a piece of cake, so it’s quite normal to lose one game.

“I always found it’s difficult to play in the first round of big events.  My purpose of the first appearance is to adjust my mentality and stamina, get used to the rhythm, adapt to the light and wind on the court as quickly as possible, and prepare for the next round, since there will be much tougher matches afterwards. ”

She also admitted she was too conservative during the second game.  Her coach, former men’s singles World Champion Chen Jin, suggested that she play more deep shots to control the baseline, but she worried about the wind direction on court and did not carry out her coach’s game plan.

Chen Jin said Wang practiced very hard before the event, and the coaching team also gave some suggestions for her, but during this match, she could not handle the wind direction properly, which cost her one game. After being a coach for 5 months, Chen Jin said he “is already used to his new role”.

“The most important thing is to gain the trust of my players.  If they are boys, I could kick them if they perform badly, but to the girls, more communication and patience are required,” said Chen Jin.

China has three women still in the draw, including Li Xuerui (pictured), who beat Ukraine’s Marija Ulitina, the one who benefited from the walkover granted by Jiang Yanjiao in the first round.  Of the three countries that actually started with all four ladies in the singles event, Japan and Thailand have had their force cut in half, while Indonesia has only Lindaweni Fanetri remaining and she is to face Olympic champion Li on Thursday.

Click here for complete Round of 32 results