(China Daily/ Olympian)
Updated: 2007-11-09 11:02

For Bao Chunlai, having Lin Dan as a teammate is both a blessing and a curse.

Sure, being partnered with the world's best badminton player has its advantages in doubles competition, but when it comes to chasing major singles titles, it's like an insurmountable hurdle that never goes away.

Bao finally got tired of playing second fiddle to Lin earlier this week when the 24-year-old badminton ace from Hunan Province ended his losing streak to the world No 1 with a semifinal victory at the French Super Series.

But before he could celebrate, he crashed out to injury-prone world No 2 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the final.

While losing to Lee was hardly unexpected, it proved a bitter pill to swallow because of the ease with which Bao crumbled, going down 11-21, 14-21 in only 36 minutes. Only a few days earlier, when the same pair met in the semifinals of the Dane Super Series, Bao had demolished the Malaysian, making his subsequent fall all the more dramatic.

The shock result prompted critics to argue that Bao's biggest rival was not Lin but himself. More accurately, they pinpointed the problem as a psychological one that sees him crack when the pressure boils.

"I just think what Bao needs most is a strong mind and morale. Technically, he doesn't have any problems," said Xia Xuanze, China's former men's singles world champion and now coach of the Chinese women's team.

Xia, who once coached Bao before he moved to the women's team, said he does not understand why the towering 1.93m talent always suffers quick losses in title matches.

"You don't just change overnight after performing well in several previous games. It doesn't make sense.

"There must be something that bothers him when he plays in finals.

Bao, the former world junior champion, has already proven he can beat the cream of the crop. At the Demark tournament he defeated Lee, Athens Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and Danish veteran Peter Dane en route to the final.

But the problem is one of consistency and pressure management in the face of high-profile rivals and high-profile matches. This has seen him finish as runner-up in all four of this year's Super Series events, as well as at last year's World Championships, where he bowed out to Lin in the final.

Bao, nicknamed "the perpetual runner-up" by fans, has been working hard to lose his image as a man who chokes on the big occasion.

He even writes the words "calm, control, courage and fight" on his hands before big matches.