A clash of the stars of tomorrow – Steve’s Badminton Blog and Website

The final between Lin Chun-Yi and Weng Hong Yang was a final which a proof of the coming of the two of them in the international badminton scene, proving the potential which I saw in the both of them when they appeared on the badminton scene after Covid-19 in 2022. Let’s discuss.

When the world of badminton fully resumed in 2022, we saw a host of new players as well as the established names. 2 years without tournaments meant the new talent were not getting opportunities, and when it finally came, a lot of the new talent rushed to get started. That was when these two caught my eye. Then, both were 22 years old, extremely skillful and extremely fast and very powerful. Deep down I thought that these 2 could become another rivalry of the ages in the future.

But those were early days as both of them just appeared on the scene after the 2 year break. It would take time for them to gain valuable match experience before they can perform consistently on the biggest stage. Fast forward to today, and we now have both of them in a final, facing each other. Over the past 3 years, how have both of them fared?

Weng Hong Yang

Weng has fared better than Lin Chun-Yi in those 3 years. Coming from China, with its vast geography and population, Weng has gain more experience as a youth player. The junior circuit in China is very demanding and of a very high level, possibly the highest level in the world. Competing in the junior circuit within China itself would have gained him a lot of experience, given how big the population in China is. A long with India, it is the only other country with more than 1 billion people. For Weng to rise to the top in China would meant he had to defeat a lot of other talented youngsters. And that meant he would have gained a lot of experience from playing against very tough opponents.

What is more surprising is how Weng is shaping up to be a big game player. Here are his stats from BWF World Tour finals so far:

• 2019 Lingshui China Master, Super 100 – Winner
• 2019 SaarLorLux Open, Super 100 – Runner-up
• 2022 Korea Open, Super 500 – Winner
• 2023 Malaysia Masters, Super 500 – Runner-up
• 2023 Australia Open, Super 500 – Winner
• 2023 Denmark Open, Super 750 – Winner
• 2024 China Open, Super 1000 – Winner
• 2025 Swiss Open, Super 300 – Winner
• 2025 China Masters, Super 750 – Winner

Weng wins whenever he is in the final. The opponents he has faced in the finals are not pushovers. If they have the capability to reach the final, they are serious players. His ability to stay calm in finals and perform is amazing. In the latest final of the 2025 China Masters, I could clearly see Lin Chun-Yi cracking under the pressure after the first 10 points for both matches. Weng does not crack.

However, Weng still has consistency issues, as with all your players. He have had many first round exits in 2024 and early 2025. He sometimes makes it to the quarterfinals, but not often. But once he gets going, he tends to all the way and win it.

Lin Chun-Yi

Lin Chun-Yi burst onto the scene in 2019 by winning the US Open. His speed, power and skill caught my eye. Post Covid-19 he joined BWF international challenges in 2022 and won a number of them. In 2023 he was in the BWF world tour once again. Let’s see how he did.

• 2019 US Open, Super 300 – Winner
• 2023 Thailand Masters, Super 300 – Winner
• 2023 Kaohsiung Masters, Super 100 – Winner
• 2024 Swiss Open, Super 300 – Winner
• 2024 Taipei Open, Super 300 – Winner
• 2025 Orleans Masters, Super 300 – Runner-up
• 2025 China Masters, Super 750 – Runner-up

Lin Chun-Yi does not have the same experience as Weng has. The junior circuit in Taiwan is much smaller than China, and he never had the same level of competition in Taiwan compared with what Weng had. And this is telling in his performances.

In smaller tournaments where the venues are not as grand, and there are less crowded, he appears very comfortable. He is able to be himself in those tournaments. He does not perform well in bigger tournaments like Super 500, Super 750 and Super 1000 tournaments. He tends to exit those tournaments in round 1 or round 2. The only notable performance was in the Singapore Open where he managed to reach the semi-finals.

Lin Chun-Yi also has the same consistency issues which bothers Weng. It is common among younger players. But, unlike Weng, he is not accustomed to the big occasions. He is not a big game player, yet. He will need to learn how to manage his emotions in order to be one. And the only way to do that is to have more competition experience in bigger tournaments.

His tactical awareness seemed to have improved in the latest tournament. That is largely due to him having Lai Chien-cheng on the coaching bench. Lai Chien-cheng is the legendary Tai Tzu-Ying’s coach, and he is the unsung hero behind Tai Tzu-Ying. With Lai coaching Lin Chun-Yi on the tactical aspects of the game, it is without doubt that Lin Chun-Yi is going to get even better.

Conclusion

2 of the most exciting players in badminton, both left handers, both born on 1999, both coming of age. This is going to be good for the sport.

That’s it for this entry.

Until the next entry, eat well, get plenty of rest and keep the badminton going!