Tai Tzu-ying might not consider herself to be “unique,” despite receiving letters of praise from heads of state, but the Taiwanese can lay claim to being one of the most promising and laid-back players in women’s badminton.
To get a sense of her personality, the quirky 20-year-old from Taiwan admits she did not even know she was seeded for the All-England Championships.
However, the world No. 7 has been making a name for herself at quite a rate since 2009, having been forced to take a year out from the game following a wrist injury.
Tai was thrust into the national squad for the first time in 2010 and in the same year, ranked world No. 122, reached the Singapore Open final, only to be beaten by Saina Nehwal of India.
“I never have a goal in tournaments. If I achieve a result, then great, but if not I just move on,” she said. “I play to have fun and it has helped to develop my game. I don’t think about the match or the actual result. If I play freely, I can keep calm,” she said.
Tai, whose career has been combined with studying sports science at university in Taipei, made the last 16 of the London 2012 Olympics, where she was beaten by eventual champion Li Xuerui of China.
She won her first Superseries title, aged 18, at the Japan Open a few months later, but she laughed when recalling the victory, saying that not many of the world’s best were there post-Olympics.
After winning her first BWF Superseries final in December last year, Tai received a congratulatory note from President Ma Ying-jeou that “felt good, but wasn’t really that exciting.”
“It’s not because I am unique, I am just lucky,” she said.
With a top-10 berth secure, the road to next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro looks bright for the Taiwanese, whose career was forged thanks to her father, who played at the amateur level.
“Being a leading player now I feel the pressure, but my personality will hopefully keep me relaxed,” she said.
At the All-England Championships on Saturday, Tai was defeated by world champion Carolina Marin of Spain. Marin could not disguise her delight as she won the women’s semi-final against Tai 21-18, 21-11.
Marin and Saina Nehwal of India are set to contest their first All-England final, after the Indian beat Sun Yu of China 21-13, 21-13 in 51 minutes.
“It is a big event and everyone dreams of winning,” Nehwal said. “This is a big hurdle and everyone [in India] expects a lot of me.”
Nehwal said she has prepared for matches this week by watching films of Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan.
“They have kept me relaxed. I used to play with a lot of pressure, but I was free today,” Nehwal said.
In the men’s competition, Lin Dan of China said the decision to consign his semi-final against fellow countryman Chen Long to an outside court was one of the factors behind his defeat.
World champion and world No. 1 Chen won for the first time against Lin, a five-time All-England champion, by a surprisingly one-sided 21-13, 21-12.
“I was disappointed not being on center court,” Lin said. “There were more than two points there that were arguably lost. If there had been [video replay], the umpire could have made a far better judgment, and it might have been another story,” he said.
Lin said he failed to get pumped up for the semi-final, adding that he could not “shout or show fist pumps” against his teammate, who will play Jan Jorgensen of Denmark for his second All-England title in three years.
The Dane has yet to drop a game and beat Sho Sasaki of Japan 21-11, 21-12. Chen has a 6-1 record against Jorgensen, although the Dane won their last match in June last year.
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