Text by BWF: Dev Sukumar |
Victor Lai’s evolution over the last year has been particularly noticeable to Mark Shelley Alcala, good friend and USA teammate.
Alcala had taken a game off him at the Canada Open last year in which Lai made the final; since then, Lai’s career trajectory has shot upward, and he comes in as one of the top medal contenders.
Wednesday saw the two square off in the Round of 32. After a comfortable opening game, Lai ran into stiffer resistance in the second, only to push ahead at the end for a 21-7 21-14 result, his fifth straight win over Alcala.
“He’s tall, his placement is very good,” said Alcala. “He’s improved a lot, his game style, his speed, and his deception specially. Last year he was still skinny; now he’s muscular and he has more power now.
“The best thing is that both of were enjoying the game.”
It was Lai’s second win in straight games; he will face Loh Kean Yew, whom he had beaten in last year’s quarterfinals.
“We both know each other’s shots, so it’s about on the day how we adjust,” he said, of his match with Alcala. “When you play someone for the first time you’re not used to their timing or their good shots and you might get caught for a bit, but he knows where I like to hit, I know where he likes to hit. Even though I know where he’s going to hit, I can’t get it sometimes.
“He sped up his pace in the second game, made it tough for me to defend his smash and his net was really good. In the end, a couple of lucky points… I was a bit lucky today.”
The last couple of days have been nightmarish for men’s singles seeds with even the best players struggling to adjust to the conditions, but Lai has grown increasingly comfortable.
“I feel pretty good. Getting used to the court today, it was court 4. It took some adjusting. The wind was different than court 1 yesterday. So we’ll see where I play tomorrow and hopefully I can adapt.”
Follow Lai’s BWF World Championships Journey Here:
Victor Lai Diary: The Campaign Begins
