German Open 2018

[jamesmith]

Timo played very well, but unfortunately Ma Long also in a very good form. It was a good match.

 

[zeio]

ML said the 4th game was the key. Boll didn't call TO until 5th game.

MA Long (CHN) after beating Timo BOLL (GER) 4-1 to reach Men’s Singles Semifinal:


“I think both us played at a high level in this match. That seems to be the case for most of our encounters, not just for this tournament, but also at the World Championships and World Cup last year. We always fought till the end.”


“Even though I won 4-1 today, I think it’s great that I was able to make my comeback into the game in the last 2 games.”


“I wasn't in that much of an advantageous position as compared to the previous games. I played fairly well in the first 2 games, in the third game, I didn't manage to hold on to the opportunity
when I was leading 6-3 & 7-4, and that gave Boll some breathing space.“


About his strategies when Timo Boll was leading in the last 2 games:
“Actually I didn’t change my tactics much, I was mainly telling myself to stay calm and just play point by point into the game and stay positive.”


“At 5-9, I changed to 2 backhand serves and it worked well. After winning the 4th game, I felt more confident.”

 

[TTFrenzy]

As boll himself has stated he never liked time outs cause he believes they disrupt his rhythm of play. there isnt always a logical explanation of why europeans play or do what they do. china had always a more pragmatistic aproach to the game than the west, its like wondering why kreanga didnt adapt a bit to the new balls/rules after 2001...I guess it is what it is

 

[Ilia Minkin]

Can anyone translate?

 

[jawien]

As boll himself has stated he never liked time outs cause he believes they disrupt his rhythm of play [...]

Yep, if Timo didn't want to call it too, then both with Jorg did a great job. They certainly didn't disrupt Ma's "rhythm of play" ...

[...] there isnt always a logical explanation of why europeans play or do what they do [...]

Ha ha TTFrenzy, I couldn't agree more!! ; ) I often too, can not find a logical explanation why Europeans play .... ; ))))

 

[TTFrenzy]

Yep, if Timo didn't want to call it too, then both with Jorg did a great job. They certainly didn't disrupt Ma's "rhythm of play" ...



Ha ha TTFrenzy, I couldn't agree more!! ; ) I often too, can not find a logical explanation why Europeans play .... ; ))))

well beating the chinese and having a more balanced life is definitely greater achievement than all olympic medals. European playstyle is about having fun and enjoy first, results come after. In china its the other way around. Im not criticizing either mentality , it's just the way it is and euro/asian players have different priorities.

I ve mentioned this quote like a zillion times whenever the euroasia comparison takes place but it fits once again . Boll in his book wrote that in a conversation with ma lin , ML told him that in the olympic cycle preparation his vacations were like 2 days only. Boll said he wouldnt change his way of life and train so hard just to earn an olympic medal

 

[NextLevel]

well beating the chinese and having a more balanced life is definitely greater achievement than all olympic medals. European playstyle is about having fun and enjoy first, results come after. In china its the other way around. Im not criticizing either mentality , it's just the way it is and euro/asian players have different priorities.

I ve mentioned this quote like a zillion times whenever the euroasia comparison takes place but it fits once again . Boll in his book wrote that in a conversation with ma lin , ML told him that in the olympic cycle preparation his vacations were like 2 days only. Boll said he wouldnt change his way of life and train so hard just to earn an olympic medal

Boll is notorious for not liking to train and for mostly training by playing or simulating matches. So I don't think he should be fully taken as representative. That said, his POV is still important.

 

[Xylit]

Can anyone translate?

Very quick translation:

"At the beginning he (Ma Long) gets too much too easy points which is something you can't afford against such a world class player. To be behind 0-2 everytime went well at the World Cup but I have to manage to keep the match more open right from the beginning, then maybe more could be possible. For sure it was annoying to lead 9-5 or 9-4 twice, I have to win those games but he never surrenders and is a fighter, that was similar at the World Cup where I was able to win the close games but it is always a back and forth at such a high level. As I have already said before my match this afternoon everything has to be perfect but it went not like that.
Right at the start I was not able to play the balls on the table, later I got more control, especially against his serves and I was able to block a few balls later during the game. I was able to increase my level and make the match equal, thus he starts to hesitate and think a bit more resulting in some easy errors and that is what you have to achieve against him."

 

[Xylit]

No breaking news anymore but in case someone has not noticed before:
Women semi-finals without any Chinese players! Can't remember when this has happened the last time at a major tournament. Sensational.

(Not meant disrespectful towards Chinese women)

 

[TableTennisDaily]

Semi Finals: Ma Long vs Wong Chun Ting! Live now:

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FITTFWorld%2Fvideos%2F2140079042688754%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

 

[AndySmith]

WCT did well there but that blazing start by ML was always going to be a big hill to climb.

One thing I find massively underrated about WCT is his sideburns. Makes him look like a minor character from Sega's Yakuza games. Maybe he's got a side quest available?

 

[Garrison]

Ma Long exhausted? Imagine what a story it would be for Franziskato overcome Xu Xin and then win against the powerless Ma Long in the final

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

If the Ch’Ting had beaten Ma Long it would have been a con-trick

 

[drunix80]

Ma Long exhausted? Imagine what a story it would be for Franziskato overcome Xu Xin and then win against the powerless Ma Long in the final

Of course ML was not exhausted. Rather he looked bored against WCT. ML vs XX will be a good one.

 

[SFF_lib]

Ma Long exhausted? Imagine what a story it would be for Franziskato overcome Xu Xin and then win against the powerless Ma Long in the final

ML does look more slow tho. I guess the age has caught him.

XX was so slow to warm up for a second i thought Franziska was going to win.

For the final, unless XX wake up right away, ML is likely going to win.

Passionate about TT

 

[WorkerBee]

ML does look more slow tho. I guess the age has caught him.
...

Something is wrong with Ma Long, I can see it in his face. Could be strain from all the complications with the Chinese team, and especially the problems with China vs the world of late. Could be something with the family. Who knows but it shows on his face.

 

[zeio]

I like how they streamlined the post-match interview process, by informing the player about the questions beforehand, resulting in less interruptions by cutting down back-and-forth translations, which is better for TV broadcast.

 

[lugi2000]

Not sure why but I think xu Xin is going to win

 

[NextLevel]

Personally I like the strides the players are making to get closer to China. Cheng I Ching, Kasumi Ishikawa and Seo Hyowon are making genuine improvements. Yes they are still behind the core CNT but good things are happening. Maybe China wasn't so paranoid after all when it banned foreigners from the CNT.

Wong Chun Ting has seriously improved his forehand but he hasn't fully improved the instincts to support it. That will be more difficult but he could be a stable top 10 player - his spin game held up amazingly well against Ma Long and that is pretty hard.

Even with Dima injured, WTTTC is going to be fun.

 

[NextLevel]

Not sure why but I think xu Xin is going to win

I know why - Xu Xin just looks more like himself than Ma Long did in the whole match.