Furious Chinese fans turn on teen Zhang Ziyu, ex-WNBA star Han after shock loss to Japan
Defeat in semi-final of Fiba Women’s Asia Cup marks stunning fall from grace for defending champions, and fans don’t hold back
Chinese fans and commentators have not taken Saturday’s shock loss to Japan in the Fiba Women’s Asia Cup well, and former favourites Zhang Ziyu and Han Yu are bearing the brunt.
Formerly hailed as “phenomenal” and the “twin towers” of the team, the pair were among their side’s leading scorers in the 90-81 semi-final loss in Shenzhen, with 17 and 18 points respectively.
But those points came on their worst shooting nights of the tournament, where teenager Zhang made 50 per cent of her attempts, and Yu 37 per cent.
The change in public opinion was swift and brutal, especially for the 7ft 5in (2.26 metre), 150kg (330lbs) Zhang, who had previously earned nothing but accolades. Defeat brought comments about her weight and speed around the court, with the politest suggesting she had “no mobility” and “no technique inside the paint”.
“You can’t expect a player like this to turn the situation around. She’s not Yao Ming,” said one commentator.
“The reason why Yao Ming is successful is that he is not just tall,” another replied.
