On April 13, 2024, Beijing time, the Badminton Asia Championships continued in a fierce competition in a warm and tense atmosphere. In particular, the Women's Singles semi-finals were marked by a high-profile civil war, with China's He Bingjiao and Wang Zhiyi facing off in a match that was not just an ordinary match, but a crucial battle for Olympic qualification. In the end, He Bingjiao, who was a little inexperienced, lost 0-2 to Wang Zhiyi, who was in good form, and missed a precious opportunity to go straight to the Paris Olympics.
Wang Zhiyi, the world No. 9, has shown hard form to match this season. Not only did she win the Indonesia Masters, but she also went all the way to the Asian Championships, including Aya Ohori, who defeated Japan in a comeback. In the semi-finals, Wang Zhiyi continued her high-level performance. She quickly took a 3-0 lead at the start of the match, and despite Ho's repeated attempts to chase the score, Wang Zhiyi maintained her composure and precise control to win 21-19 and 21-17 in a row.
For He Bingjiao, who is ranked No. 6 in the world, this match was undoubtedly a heavy blow. Although she had a brilliant performance in this Asian Championships, especially defeating the world's No. 1 An Xianying in the quarterfinals, in the competition with Wang Zhiyi, some of He Bingjiao's technical and psychological deficiencies were magnified. She made a lot of mistakes in the game, especially in the handling of key points, which also directly affected the result of the game. After the game, He Bingjiao admitted that he needed to learn lessons from the game, especially on how to maintain stability under high pressure.
He Bingjiao's defeat is not only a personal loss, but also related to the Olympic layout of the national feather women's singles. According to the Olympic points rules, He Bingjiao needs to stay ahead of the world rankings if she wants to qualify for the Olympics. However, with Wang Zhiyi's victory, He Bingjiao's Olympic road has become precarious. At the same time, all eyes began to turn to the other semi-final on the same day, Han Yue against Chen Yufei. If Han Yue emerges victorious and progresses to the final, she will overtake He Bingjiao in the Olympic standings and secure a ticket to Paris.
In the high-level competition of badminton, mental quality is often as important as technical level. He Bingjiao showed a psychological weakness in the duel with Wang Zhiyi. During the game, she hesitated many times on key points, which led to more mistakes. It's not just a matter of personal technique, it's more of a direct reflection of psychological pressure. As you can see from this match, the battle between the top players is often about who can perform better under pressure. He Bingjiao's coaching staff said after the game that psychological counseling will be strengthened to help players better manage the pace of the game and psychological pressure in future games.
Wang's victory was not only based on her technique and tactics, but also on her ability to stay calm in the face of adversity, find her opponent's weaknesses and exploit them. In the first game, despite taking the lead at the beginning, He Bingjiao once tied the score. At this time, Wang Zhiyi did not panic, but adjusted his tactics, and successfully broke He Bingjiao's rhythm and regained the initiative in the game by strengthening the small ball in front of the net and changing the line attack. Wang Zhiyi's ability allows her to always tap more potential at critical moments, which is also an important reason why she can stand out in fierce international competitions.
As the Olympic points battle comes to an end, the outcome of each match may directly affect the athletes' right to play in the Olympics. Against this backdrop, players have to deal with not only pressure from their opponents, but also from the standings. For He, having lost the chance to qualify directly for the Olympics, she must strive for better results in the next competitions to accumulate enough points. This requires her to maintain a high level of concentration and consistency in the competition, and any mistake can lead to the loss of points and thus affect the Olympic dream.
For the Chinese badminton team, the Asian Championships is not only a simple competition, but also a preview of the players' future Olympic performance. The coaching staff needs to analyze the data from each game, adjust the tactics, and optimize the team configuration. In addition, the rejuvenation of the team is also an important direction for the coaching staff to consider. The rise of Wang Zhiyi is one of the results of the team's rejuvenation strategy. Through such competitions, the coaching staff can see more clearly which young players can perform well in high-pressure conditions, so that they are fully prepared for the upcoming Olympic Games.