WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 - 11-16 Mar 2025

[rpb23]

Even with Chen Meng absent, all semi-positions are filled by Chinese women, showing the continuation of their domination. The challenge from Japanese girls still hasn't materialized.

On men's side, the lone Japanese player Harimoto is surrounded by all Chinese players. It shows, for all the threats from outside of China, the most consistent and serious one is still Harimoto.

Unfortunately, among all three Chinese players, WCQ is the player Harimoto has the most problem facing. Lets hope Harimoto can play out of his mind giving WCQ a real challenge.

 

[NextLevel]

You can't be comparing RSM with Moregard.

Moregard even said he didn't even want to practice after seeing the (shitty) draw.

RSM beat Waldner that took out MLin when Cai Zhenhua expected Waldner to reach the final. RSM also proved his Olympic gold by beating WLQ and MLin (both with Oh Sangeun coaching at the bench) before losing to WH at World Cup 2007. RSM also beat WH in their first 2 encounters (MS and MT) at the Asian Junior Championships 1999. And before Athens 2004, there were 2 matches that went down to the wire, with one being World Cup 2003. Wu Jingping has also written articles on the Olympic loss, concluding that WH not being able to hit down-the-line with the RPB was the critical factor.

Truls won silver by beating everyone in front of him. Other than the Olympics, RSM mostly lost to Wang Hao. The point here is to let the person take the medal they won by playing on the day they played well and stop trying to reassign it based on what happened later.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Even with Chen Meng absent, all semi-positions are filled by Chinese women, showing the continuation of their domination. The challenge from Japanese girls still hasn't materialized.

On men's side, the lone Japanese player Harimoto is surrounded by all Chinese players. It shows, for all the threats from outside of China, the most consistent and serious one is still Harimoto.

Unfortunately, among all three Chinese players, WCQ is the player Harimoto has the most problem facing. Lets hope Harimoto can play out of his mind giving WCQ a real challenge.

Tomo didn't have to face a Chinese player on his way to the SF so that adds a bit of context. Hopefully, he will have a better outing than he did the last time he met WCQ.

True, the challenge from the Japanese women hasn't materialized, but there's a glimmer of hope with Miwa and Satsuki Odo. Miwa needs to clamp down on end games. She was up 10-8 with the serve in game 2 and lost 4 points in a row. So even though it ended up 3-0 loss, it's a lot closer than that. Biggest surprise was Odo who I thought SYS would simply overpower, but that wasn't the case at all. After going up 1-0 but falling behind in game 2, Odo had the makings of a great comeback. Down 7-10 she pulls it to deuce including an exhibition style point similar to what Truls did to Kirill at Waldner Cup, but this was at a real tournament. After getting to deuce and some back and forth, Odo takes a timeout up 12-11. She's tries a 3rd ball kill, but it doesn't land. If she executes that, then it's 2-0 with SYS under tremendous pressure.

Even though things don't look good now, with the rate at which Miwa is improving and Odo will be in her peak physical prime when LA2028 comes around in 3.5 years, things could get interesting.

 

[NextLevel]

Even with Chen Meng absent, all semi-positions are filled by Chinese women, showing the continuation of their domination. The challenge from Japanese girls still hasn't materialized.

On men's side, the lone Japanese player Harimoto is surrounded by all Chinese players. It shows, for all the threats from outside of China, the most consistent and serious one is still Harimoto.

Unfortunately, among all three Chinese players, WCQ is the player Harimoto has the most problem facing. Lets hope Harimoto can play out of his mind giving WCQ a real challenge.

Harimoto also had a draw based partly on seeding that avoided all the Chinese players. So it is less about dominance ans more about whether China can get a player into the #4 slot between now and WTTC. Unlikely but not impossible. And then the draw will be the biggest factor.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

True, but you can write a lot of things over many player. Why you didn’t write anything about Ruwen Filus. He was not even sanctioned for the same racket-throwing last year, and he is 37.

I think you made my point exactly, which was directed at Arkady.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

Yeah, but we have seen many top players do more dangerous things than get angry at bottles because they are frustrated with how they are playing. I just caution against people telling others how to get fired up unless they are their sports psychologists.

That's the point I'm trying to make though my sarcasm might not always carry over...

 

[ThePongCommenter]

WCQ is a much stronger player than Hao Shuai. Usually Wang's shots are so fast and powerful that his opponents lose the point before they even get into the lob. Seriously, unless WCQ is in a slump, no one dares to purposefully lob to him.

Well nobody has seriously tried to my knowledge. Two things can be true, WCQ is in dominant form right now, and he does also clearly have a problem with smashing that has been observable over time.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

I don't disagree.
I was trying to point out the cognitive dissonance of those that believe it's WCQ's head behind all the wins.

It's actually his head in front of all the wins

 

[NextLevel]

Harimoto also had a draw based partly on seeding that avoided all the Chinese players. So it is less about dominance ans more about whether China can get a player into the #4 slot between now and WTTC. Unlikely but not impossible. And then the draw will be the biggest factor.

In fact I would consider Lin Yun Ju more dangerous than Harimoto based on current form, he just needs a break.

 

[rpb23]

In fact I would consider Lin Yun Ju more dangerous than Harimoto based on current form, he just needs a break.

I'll put Tomo ahead of LYJ for his fast pace and more importantly, fighting spirit. Lin may have more polished or complete technique but lack of resiliency and the desire to win.

 

[Zezima]

I'll put Tomo ahead of LYJ for his fast pace and more importantly, fighting spirit. Lin may have more polished or complete technique but lack of resiliency and the desire to win.

what the fuck dude

 

[NextLevel]

I'll put Tomo ahead of LYJ for his fast pace and more importantly, fighting spirit. Lin may have more polished or complete technique but lack of resiliency and the desire to win.

Well Tomo will show us something tomorrow. This is really hair splitting so even with Felix and Alexis.

 

[backspacer]

I guess kids look up to see these stars and think it is perfectly normal to throw rackets, to smash things around etc.
so when they are upset with something, they will do the same thing.

Until they break their stuff and realize they are not pros with enough supply and just cry.

 

[Shine]

Well Tomo will show us something tomorrow. This is really hair splitting so even with Felix and Alexis.

Alexis is on Tomo's level?
He may be the European Champion, but he's on the same level internationally with Tomo, LYJ, even Felix.

 

[mikeytt]

just watched back lin yunju vs lin shidong, what an amazing match. lin yunju played great, really agressive especially with his fh but lin shidong is just too good

 

[NextLevel]

Alexis is on Tomo's level?
He may be the European Champion, but he's on the same level internationally with Tomo, LYJ, even Felix.

He very much is for me, how many Europeans have beaten Fan Zhendong and Liang Jingkun and Harimoto in the last decade? I don't think Tomo has beaten Alexis before (I was wrong he actually eon their last match).

But i understand why you don't think he is (he doesn't have quite the track record at big events outside Europe) and that is fair, he has to do more at the majors vs the big players and he is well on his way.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

I'll put Tomo ahead of LYJ for his fast pace and more importantly, fighting spirit. Lin may have more polished or complete technique but lack of resiliency and the desire to win.

what the fuck dude

While I wouldn't have worded it the exact way that rpb23 did ("lack of desire to win" is probably a bit extreme when describing LYJ), this opinion isn't completely unreasonable. TH's resiliency , desire to win and fighting spirit are on a level beyond that of many other top pros and this is is a consensus straight from the mouths of several pros I know who are familiar with him, not just conjecture.

 

[NextLevel]

The fans are going to cause Sun Yingsha depression lol.

 

[Zezima]

While I wouldn't have worded it the exact way that rpb23 did ("lack of desire to win" is probably a bit extreme when describing LYJ), this opinion isn't completely unreasonable. TH's resiliency , desire to win and fighting spirit are on a level beyond that of many other top pros and this is is a consensus straight from the mouths of several pros I know who are familiar with him, not just conjecture.

Just because he is more vocal than anyone.
LYJ is just very silent, that doesn't mean he has no fighting spirit at all. He wouldn't have been able to go to 5 sets with LS

 

[ThePongCommenter]

Just because he is more vocal than anyone.
LYJ is just very silent, that doesn't mean he has no fighting spirit at all. He wouldn't have been able to go to 5 sets with LS

Yeah. Conjecture based on how they appear outwardly on video wouldn't be a good thing to base things on, and I'm not sure if that was rpb23's reasoning or if he knows more than the general public about those two. But, either accidentally or not, he isn't completely wrong either.