Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong Achieve 6 Titles This Season: We Have Matured and Become More Stable

Jayce September 6, 2024 1 0

On August 17th, the Badminton World Federation announced that Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong secured their sixth title of the season at the 2022 Malaysia Masters. Zheng Siwei commented after their victory, “We need to improve our skills.”

Is Zheng Siwei’s statement sincere or modest? After all, since reuniting at the end of April at the Asian Badminton Championships, this Chinese pair has achieved 30 consecutive wins.

In these 30 matches, they were in danger of losing only twice—almost losing to Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino at the Thailand Open and nearly falling to Yang Po-han/Hu Ling-fang at the Malaysia Masters. Zheng Siwei referred to the latter.

“For example,” Zheng Siwei continued, “the opponents’ tactics were very effective against us, putting us at a disadvantage. Honestly, we didn’t have time to watch videos and analyze our performance at that moment. After returning, we need to carefully analyze our matches and devise a suitable training plan.”

As the 2022 Badminton World Championships approach, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong have become the favorites to win in the eyes of the public, but their expectations have been tempered due to their loss in last year’s Tokyo Olympics final.

Winning a silver medal at the Olympics doesn’t mean much, but for Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, the blow of missing out on the gold medal almost changed their plans for the next year. They each paired up with new partners, with mixed success, and their partnership seemed destined for a lackluster and premature end.

At the Asian Badminton Championships, the spark was reignited as they defeated defending champions Wang Yi Lu/Huang Dong Ping in the final with scores of 21-17, 21-8.

“The Asian Championships were crucial, perhaps the first event to reignite our passion. Winning the championship gave us confidence and motivation.”

While Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong have always been an outstanding pair, they seem more driven now. How do they explain their relentless pursuit of victory?

“I don’t think we are unbeatable,” Huang Yaqiong said. “But we are very well-prepared. We have matured a lot and become more stable. We tried different playing styles with different partners, which helped us understand our strengths. So, when we reunited, we were able to leverage these strengths and become better partners.”

They persistently train at high intensity, refusing to settle for their current achievements. This pair is setting new milestones. The setback at the Olympics had a profound impact on them, Zheng Siwei said. “On one hand, it was a setback, but on the other hand, it made us more determined and taught us to be mentally stronger.”