Liang Jingkun Is Back, But Faces the Same Problem as Zhu Yuling
1. The player they call Manju is back — same storyline
Liang Jingkun is back, and true to his reputation for dramatic reversals. This time the ending was a little less satisfying, though.
In the men’s singles round of 16 at Chongqing Champions, Liang Jingkun built a 2–0 lead, then let Qiu Dang come back to win three straight. Living up to his “Manju” nickname — but ultimately losing 2–3.
Liang Jingkun: Liang Jingkun ADC special production, NEO National Hurricane 3 (blue sponge), NEO National Hurricane 3 (orange sponge)
Qiu Dang: Viscaria special production, both sides D09c
At first, Qiu Dang couldn’t adjust to Liang Jingkun’s spin — especially the backhand topspin coming over. Even in the middle-body position, Liang sometimes deliberately applied extra topspin with his forehand. Gradually, Qiu Dang realized that the only way to score was to penetrate Liang Jingkun’s forehand wide corner. But that wasn’t easy — many straight backhand balls into the forehand missed.
By the time the match was over, I understood what had happened. Qiu Dang must have done a lot of preparation for this match. His game plan was clear: attack Liang Jingkun’s wide forehand, more backhand straight balls into the forehand corner.
Because Liang’s backhand topspin is powerful and very consistent. The forehand, on the other hand, requires more lateral movement, and he can’t get there as quickly.
But Qiu Dang couldn’t break through at first, and his own errors were piling up. Later he made two adjustments that cracked it open. First, he started returning short to Liang Jingkun’s forehand — Liang hardly attacked those. After several consecutive short pushes, the opportunity came. Second, once his own transition speed went up, Liang Jingkun’s return quality — especially spin — dropped.
This is something I’ve experienced in my own games against opponents who are around my level or slightly better. When I can’t break through, I try to increase pace across every shot — pushes, chops, early attacks — just a little bit. When you do that, the opponent tends to make more errors, and the quality of their returns drops. Try bumping your tempo up next time you’re stuck, and see if it helps.
Qiu Dang clawed back two games. In the deciding game, at 1–1, he suddenly smiled. Not because something funny happened on the court, and not because he was advertising toothpaste. It was just a natural smile that emerged as he was playing — he was feeling it. And indeed he was playing better than usual, especially his backhand drive, straight lines into Liang Jingkun’s forehand: efficient, sharp, accurate.
2. Women’s round of 16: Zhu Yuling falls 1–3 to Shin Yubin
Over the past six months, Shin Yubin has improved fast — she now has the rally-sustaining ability to challenge top players. She still needs a little more unpredictability and ruthlessness, but her tactical clarity has improved significantly.
Zhu Yuling: Innerforce Layer ZLC special production, T05 Hard, D09c
Shin Yubin: S968 (Shin’s signature pink handle), NEO National Hurricane 3 (blue sponge), NEO National Hurricane 3 (orange sponge)
For reference: while a Hurricane Shin Yubin product line launched in Korea, that’s just a version of the Hurricane Sa — an ordinary retail rubber. Shin Yubin herself uses a specially made 968.
Early in the match, Shin Yubin was targeting Zhu Yuling’s backhand. But Zhu’s backhand is exceptional — clear line changes, solid rally endurance. So Shin switched to using her opponent’s own weapons against her, beginning to attack Zhu’s middle body and forehand. Alternating between just those two spots, staying away from the backhand. That’s when things started opening up.
Against veterans like Liang Jingkun and Zhu Yuling — players with thick rally depth, backhands that can be stable or explosive, and high ball quality — a straight backhand ball to the wide forehand corner is often the lever that shifts the whole match.