by Henry Chen

Two days later Liu Shiwen, following motivating words from coach Rao Jingwen, Liu Shiwen responded; she beat Guo Ruochen (11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8) and an injured Zhu Yuling (13-11, 11-4, 11-4), as Anxin posted a three-one win over Shandong Luneng.

“I gave Liu Shiwen a requirement after the semi-final bout; go out there and fight. A further downturn could only embarrass her position; so I continued to give her pressure just to motivate her to play well today. I give her 99 per cent for her performance today; the one per cent is my fear for her complacency. I give her 90 per cent for her performance in the entire competition”, Rao Jingwen

Eventually, Liu Shiwen secured the second spot in the individual ranking with 28 wins and eight losses on the chart. Zhu Yuling topped the list with 34 wins and only three losses.

It was the younger players who presented the greatest challenges in the likes of Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, Sheng Dandan, Chen Ke, Che Xiaoxi and Chen Xingtong.

“I lost a lot of matches in this year’s league, especially against younger opponents. I feel that I still have potential and room for improvement.  I can do much better”, Liu Shiwen.

Notably, Liu Shiwen did not forget to acknowledge the support from her fans who never gave up even during tough times of the competition.

“I’m very thankful for the team and the fans. In my lowest point, you never gave up on me; you continued to motivate me. Here, I also want everyone to feel assured; I will not give up until the last moment”, Liu Shiwen.