Shuttlers of the world beware, Japanese bullet trains are gathering pace

Is speed the highest currency in badminton, even trumping superior power and startling deception?

Akane Yamaguchi said as much this last week when she continued her rampaging form, beating Tai Tzu Ying and her assorted trick-treats in the final of the World Tour Finals. “You can see from my height that I’m not very tall, so I consider speed and quick movement important,” she told the BWF later.

It ought not to have been a factor at all in her 21-18, 22-20 win over the Taiwanese, with the 5-ft-1 only marginally taller than Tai Tzu who’s 5-ft-3. But it’s in her deceptive strokemaking and tactical skill that Tai Tzu Ying routinely gains the extra seconds and surprise blitz on her opponents. Yamaguchi, though, clearly backs her anticipation and court movement to not only get to the shuttle that’s under the Tai Tzu spell, but also to send back returns speedily that in turn can test the Taiwanese.