CNG Throwback: A Sweet Revenge But Not The Best Ending

Sometimes, though, it is not the finals nor the semifinals and we remember the match well. Perhaps we are left with a strong conviction that had the players not confronted at the early round of the competition, they would have ended up on the podium or the match is as exciting or even more exciting than the finals. Below, CNG Throwback looks at the 2009 Chinese National Games men's doubles finalists at 2013 Chinese National Games!

Photo: Souhu

When the defending champion, Wang Liqin and Xu Xin who also won the 2012 national men's doubles champion representing Team Shanghai were looking forward to defending their men's doubles title, Tianjin duo, Li Ping and Hao Shuai fought hard and  halted the aspiration of the Shanghai pairs in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles at 2013 Chinese National Games. Hao Shuai and Li Ping looked sharp in the quarterfinals. Their control of the first three ball contacts and loops were great. While Xu Xin was not as quick and aggressive that he would like to play. As a result, the Tianjin duo won over the favourites of the game by 3-1. However, they lost to Fan Zhendong and Zhou Yu in the semifinals after a 7-game match and fell short of winning the champion. They placed third at the 2013 Chinese National Games winning Zhai Yiming and Xu Hui, the Liaoning pairs in the bronze medal play-off match.

It is not easy to win a title 2 times in a row at the Chinese National Games. In men's doubles, Liu Guoliang and Wang Tao from Team PLA is the only pair to win 2 men's doubles champion at the Chinese National Games whereas Wang Liqin has won twice as well partnering different players. Many things can happen within the 4 years and maintaining a high level of competitiveness alongside with some luck in the draw is not a walk in a park. Wang Liqin was very sharp at the beginning of the Games in 2013. He won every match he played in the team event but was depleted after days of competitions. After the defeat in the doubles, he was written off in the quarterfinals in the singles event and had to withdraw from some of the 5th to 8th playoff matches. This year, at the 13th Games, Fan Zhendong and Zhou Yu will be defending their men's doubles title. Follow the men's doubles preview coming up this Saturday to learn about who will have a shot at winning the champion!

Although I make frequent updates so that I can include more CNG throwbacks before the Games starts, there are always more amazing matches than that I can include. No worries, I have created a playlist to include most of the matches from the past Chinese National Games. If I have missed any matches, please remind me in the comment box, I will add them back to the playlist!