Zhang Beiwen is getting by just fine (financially) as she reaches semi-finals of badminton’s Hong Kong Open
- The 29-year-old mainland-born shuttler laughed off her Crowdfunding experience when she was short of cash
- The American reaches her first World Tour 500 last four of the year by defeating Indonesia’s Hartawan
Zhang Beiwen knows it’s not easy travelling the globe as a badminton star from the United States even though she’s ranked in the world’s top 20 in women’s singles.
Representing a country that doesn’t consider the sport a popular past-time with very limited resources and funding, the mainland-born shuttler has not been having it easy trying to play and compete against the world’s best.
Last year, she needed funds so she could compete at the world championships and she turned to crowdfunding to raise enough cash to go to Nanjing for the prestigious event.
Zhang laughed off her crowdfunding experience as the American number one stormed into the women’s singles semi-finals at the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open at the Coliseum on Friday.
“That was a unique occasion and fortunately I don’t have to go through it again this year,” said the 29-year-old, who defeated Ruselli Hartawan of Indonesia 21-17, 21-17 to reach her first World Tour 500 tournament last four of the year.
US badminton star Zhang Beiwen is crowdfunding her way to the World Championships in China
“I am not saying I am well off to support all my expenses on tour but the situation looks fine at the moment and hopefully I can survive up to the 2020 Olympic Games.”
Last year, Zhang needed help from the social media to cover her expenses to compete at the worlds in Nanjing in July. Thanks to the support of badminton fans worldwide, it took the women’s singles player less than a week to secure more than enough funds to make her trip possible.
“I played in the India League last year to save some money and I also shared a room with a Malaysian doubles player when travelling on the world tour to minimise expenses,” she said. “It’s not easy playing badminton in the United States and every expense has to come out of our own pocket. There is no subvention from the national sports association at all. I would consider myself a pioneer playing professional badminton in the United States.”
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To further save expenses, Zhang, a former mainlander now ranked 17 in the world, always travels on the tour without a coach. “I can’t pay for a coach all year round to follow me in every tournament,” she said. “I only train with him when I get back to Singapore where he makes his living as a private coach.”
A former mainlander from Liaoning province in China, Zhang moved to Singapore as a teenager and represented the Southeast Asian nation before settling in the United States in 2013. She reached her highest ranking of world number nine in 2017 but her form has dropped since, although there shouldn’t be a problem for her to make the trip to Tokyo next year.
“The women’s singles is highly competitive. The top five may be a bit stable while other players are [ranked] in and out of the top 10,” she said. “Of course I want to win a World Tour 1000 or 750 tournament but I need to be at my best. Perhaps Hong Kong will be a good hunting ground.”
In men’s singles, China’s Chen Long retired injured from his men’s singles quarter-final against Srikanth Kidambi, of India, after conceding the first game 21-13.
“I wanted to withdraw from the tournament before it started but as there are a lot of badminton fans in Hong Kong, I decided to come,” said the 2016 Rio Games champion. “We have a hectic schedule. Since competing in France and Denmark, we then competed in the China Open and now Hong Kong.
“My thigh has been injured and after a tough second round match the previous day, I could not take it anymore.”
Meanwhile, home favourite Lee Cheuk-yiu reached his second consecutive men’s singles semi-final after stunning seventh seed Viktor Axelsen, of Denmark, 21-14, 21-19.
In the mixed doubles, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet lostto China’s Du Yue and He Jiting of China 21-17, 21-17 in the quarter-finals.
