Jayce
On February 4, the 2024 BWF World Tour Thailand Masters ended in Bangkok. The Chinese badminton team, which sent a small number of players to participate, entered the men’s doubles and women’s doubles finals. In the end, the “Little Pistol” combination Ren Xiangyu / He Jiting won the second championship in more than four months. This is also the last championship won by the Chinese badminton team in the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar.
Ren Xiangyu and He Jiting, who are good at midfield and front-half techniques, started their partnership in October last year, and quickly developed a “chemical reaction”. They won the Japan Masters Championship and entered the semi-finals of the China Masters, and were called the “Little Pistol” combination. However, this year, as the outside world intensified their research on them, their performance fluctuated. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open, the first round of the India Open, and the top 16 of the Indonesia Masters. From the “honeymoon period” of novices to the subsequent “running-in period”, this is a process that every pair must go through, and the “Little Pistol” is also working hard to overcome the difficulties.
At the Thailand Masters, the two main players of the Chinese men’s doubles Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang and Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi were on rest, and Ren Xiangyu/He Jiting took on the responsibility of winning the gold and silver medals. They seized the opportunity and defeated the Indonesian strong pair Fikri/Maulana 2-0 in the semifinals.
In the final, Ren Xiangyu/He Jiting faced the dark horse of this tournament, the world No. 76 host team Perachay/Park Kapo. In the first game, the opponent played excitedly amid the cheers of the home audience and took the lead with 21-16. However, from the second game, Ren Xiangyu/He Jiting gradually stabilized the rhythm, started a stalemate with the opponent, and continued to exert pressure at the net. Through continuous attacks, they disintegrated the opponent’s morale and reversed the opponent with 21-14 and 21-13 to win the championship.
“The opponent was very strong and had defeated many powerful combinations before. We were well prepared before the game, but we were not used to the opponent’s rhythm at the beginning and our own adjustments were not active enough.” He Jiting commented on the game after the game, “In the second game, we fought against the opponent point by point and did not give up, and then we had a turning point.”
At the moment of victory, Ren Xiangyu and He Jiting both dropped their rackets and hugged to celebrate. This is the second championship for the two in more than four months, which has more different meanings. “Our condition is getting better little by little. ‘Little Pistol’ has gone from the honeymoon period to the running-in period. We are also constantly working hard to improve our strength.” Ren Xiangyu said that winning this tournament has greatly helped them to improve their confidence, and it is also a recognition of their efforts and contributions during this period.
This is the first championship of the “Little Pistol” combination in 2024. With the championship of this station, their Paris Olympic points ranking will also rise from 16th to 14th, and there is still hope for Olympic qualification. When talking about their wishes this year, Ren Xiangyu and He Jiting both mentioned the Thomas Cup. They hope to help the team regain the Thomas Cup.
After competing abroad for a month and participating in four consecutive events, the “Little Pistol” combination will return to China to adjust and prepare for the Asian Team Championships to be held in Malaysia from February 13 to 18.
