WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024

[zeio]

Total WTT Event Prize Money:
USD 500,000 (USD 250,000 per gender) (Onsite
- USD 475,000)
5% contribution to Player Pension & Medical
Services Program

 

[NetProphet]

Weird take. Considering he's had a career spanning over a decade what specific examples are you referring to? I ask because only the Chinese are much higher rated than he has been over the last decade and he's generally been pretty non-competitive with them.

How many international events has he won?
One I think.
Even the French nationals he has only won 3 times, despite so often looking the best and being the highest ranked player he would play well and lose.
Only the Chinese are much higher rated in the past ten years???
You know the names and stats as well as anyone to know that's not true

 

[NetProphet]

It's not that weird because players in the 25-50 range are generally roughly of the same strength whereas you only start to see clear level differences between like 1-5 and 10-20 for example. There are generally only a small handful of players "much higher" than Gauzy if you consider ranking by skill level rather than the actual ranking number.

But who or what determines 'skill level's?
Isn't that what the rankings are there to do?
Winning is also a skill.
But if you're going to only compare him V players ranking 'much higher' and not just 'higher' then how do you define 'much higher'?

I see several players (not just Chinese) ranked much higher than Gauzy in the past 10 yrs and lots of players ranked higher.
I would say that Gauzys problem is that in 12-13 yrs he cannot win. He has always been so inconsistent, plays a terrific last 16 and falls flat in the qtr final, turns it on when he's already 0-2 down.
Great talent, superb athlete and seemingly all the attributes but he just cannot get over the line despite so often looking like he should.
I think thats what Turbozeds quote was referring to.
Gauzy is great to watch and most of us wish he could have won more.
@turbozed where did you lift that quote from?

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Who needs backhand?

 

[andzejgolot]

If I will be honest... Harimoto still live in the dream / nightmare between 2:0 for him and then 3:2 and decider 3:4 vs FZD in Paris. He changed blade and his Forehand speed adjusted to Chinese player forehand but he didnt calibrate the game to the different style players...and he start to Play blocking and shouting game, even Aruna backhand start to be dangerous

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

If I will be honest... Harimoto still live in the dream / nightmare between 2:0 for him and then 3:2 and decider 3:4 vs FZD in Paris. He changed blade and his Forehand speed adjusted to Chinese player forehand but he didnt calibrate the game to the different style players...and he start to Play blocking and shouting game, even Aruna backhand start to be dangerous

1800 player got beaten by 1850

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

1800 player got beaten by 1850

1850 with the nost powerful forehand!!!
❤️❤️❤️

 

[Lazer]

1850 with the nost powerful forehand!!!
❤️❤️❤️

The LeBrun's will eat him as a breakfast snack. 😋

Cheers
L-zr

 

[PoppaChubby]

Who needs backhand?
View attachment 32929
View attachment 32930

Aruna, the african Gatien, who needed no backhand to be only 1 final far from a Grand Slam.

 

[NetProphet]

The LeBrun's will eat him as a breakfast snack. 😋

Cheers
L-zr

This is undoubtedly true....but he'd have to beat WCQ in the qtrs to play Felix in the semis so unlikely we'll see it.

 

[PoppaChubby]

How many international events has he won?
One I think.
Even the French nationals he has only won 3 times, despite so often looking the best and being the highest ranked player he would play well and lose.
Only the Chinese are much higher rated in the past ten years???
You know the names and stats as well as anyone to know that's not true

The epitome of this is simply the 2016 ETTC finals vs Manu Lebesson. Manu has never won big on the french or international scene, Simon was way better ranked than Manu, until this cruel final. Only one Feeder title, says a lot when Alexis already has an ETTC title, and a contender at 21. Alexis has pretty much done the same, going up and down like a yo-yo, never entered the top10 but he already wins more than Simon.

Now, for some who follows Simon on X he had to undergo a lil' surgery after the Paris OG. He's having troubles with his back.

EDIT: whoops my bad, Manu is the 2009 french nationals winner, sorry.

 

[NextLevel]

Didn't think I'd generate that much of a spirited discussion about Gauzy.

At least in the past year or so, I've watched a lot of games where Gauzy looks amazing, is competitive, but ultimately loses. Likely unfair to generalize his whole career as such, but seems there may be evidence of it. I can't hold any strong belief about that since I've only watched him for a couple of years and only a few games in his prime years.

In any case my comment wasn't a slight on Gauzy. I pretty much root for him every single time. So it's disappointing when he gets close but falls short of an upset.

I think PongCommenter is closer to the truth than you are. Gauzy even when playing well has never really threatened better players. His win over Xu Xin was followed by the loss to Falck. His current play is partly a result of the arrival of the Lebruns as they have pushed up the overall level of France and given Gauzy a challenge to maintain a place on a team where he was usually the default leader. But other than this recent period where his level was pushed up by trying to stave off the Lebruns, I have never seen Gauzy as a perennial Contender who pushed but ultimately lost to better players. Germany with Boll and Dima stable dominated Europe for the past decade even with occasional incursions by Samsonov or the random Lebesson or Groth or Ionescu surge. Gauzy is just another one of the top players in Europe who just never had the right motivation IMHO to do what it took to get better because it might have risked what he already had. His late change to faster blades is a symptom of this.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Who needs backhand?

I think he more than held his own on the BH.

 

[Janard]

Togami looks like he has trouble seeing/missing shots because his fringe is covering his eyes

 

[NetProphet]

Good effort from Togami this first set.
This match may be more competitive than we expected?

 

[NetProphet]

I think PongCommenter is closer to the truth than you are. Gauzy even when playing well has never really threatened better players. His win over Xu Xin was followed by the loss to Falck. His current play is partly a result of the arrival of the Lebruns as they have pushed up the overall level of France and given Gauzy a challenge to maintain a place on a team where he was usually the default leader. But other than this recent period where his level was pushed up by trying to stave off the Lebruns, I have never seen Gauzy as a perennial Contender who pushed but ultimately lost to better players. Germany with Boll and Dima stable dominated Europe for the past decade even with occasional incursions by Samsonov or the random Lebesson or Groth or Ionescu surge. Gauzy is just another one of the top players in Europe who just never had the right motivation IMHO to do what it took to get better because it might have risked what he already had. His late change to faster blades is a symptom of this.

I dunno. I have the feeling every time I see him that he is capable of real brilliance but just hasn't been consistent enough. Like he has the parts but just can't put it together.
He seems to play better against better opponents but ultimately lose and then play poorly against lesser opponents and often lose matches it seems he shouldn't.
It could be the motivation you refer to but it could also be that French flair we often refer to, something that when it clicks it's unstoppable but it's not always there or always backed up on the hard days. These are rugby and football generalisations I'm making but they are often true.
I'd love to see his undoubted brilliance maintained for a period of time but maybe it's too late and will never happen.?
Somehow he manages to seem less than the sun of his parts, maybe it's a mental hurdle he hasn't overcome 🤷

 

[NextLevel]

I can’t stand this. Togami really cannot capitalise on his serves…

They both played very well!

 

[turbozed]

But who or what determines 'skill level's?
Isn't that what the rankings are there to do?
Winning is also a skill.
But if you're going to only compare him V players ranking 'much higher' and not just 'higher' then how do you define 'much higher'?

I see several players (not just Chinese) ranked much higher than Gauzy in the past 10 yrs and lots of players ranked higher.
I would say that Gauzys problem is that in 12-13 yrs he cannot win. He has always been so inconsistent, plays a terrific last 16 and falls flat in the qtr final, turns it on when he's already 0-2 down.
Great talent, superb athlete and seemingly all the attributes but he just cannot get over the line despite so often looking like he should.
I think thats what Turbozeds quote was referring to.
Gauzy is great to watch and most of us wish he could have won more.
@turbozed where did you lift that quote from?

It's not a quote but was supposed to be like a hypothetical recurring headline describing a lot of his 'good performances in a loss' in the past couple of years.

In any case, seems like it spurred on a nice debate with good points on either side.

 

[turbozed]

Yangzi Liu out to try to prove her recent close match with Miwa wasn't a fluke.

 

[NetProphet]

It's not a quote but was supposed to be like a hypothetical recurring headline describing a lot of his 'good performances in a loss' in the past couple of years.

Ah, cool. I think it sums it up pretty well

In any case, seems like it spurred on a nice debate with good points on either side.

Absolutely. Everybody can see something different and remember things differently too.
And many of the points wouldn't be unique to Gauzy either, I guess there's another 10 players who have looked like they were on a road to victories ahead but then stalled, hit by a high speed China express, never to get over that line!
Honestly it's why I'm so in awe of the Chinese methods and skill levels. When there's such fine margins at the top it's something remarkable how they have managed to maintain a consistent advantage for so long.
Anyway, things do seem to be changing!