WTT Champions Incheon 2025 - 1-6 Apr 2025

[pongfugrasshopper]

Subjectively - Ito Mima and Harimoto Miwa - who played better here with Chen Xintong?

Difficult to say because there styles are very different. They both played well, but I think Mima maximized her style a bit better than Miwa. I think CXT was under more pressure from Mima than she was from Miwa even though she should have been under more pressure from Miwa since she's never beaten Miwa before. But this was still a great tournament for Miwa beating China's future superstar, Kuai Man 4-0.

 

[Vlad Celler]

By the way, I understand that Hayata Hina will have big deductions in April and especially in May and June... It is very likely that he will not stay in the top 10 and will fall below Ito Mima...

 

[Vlad Celler]

How do you rate the chances of mixed Hitomi Sato Muramatsu Yuto in Havirov?

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

By the way, I understand that Hayata Hina will have big deductions in April and especially in May and June... It is very likely that he will not stay in the top 10 and will fall below Ito Mima...

Hina still has chances to stay in the top 10. The World Cup is coming up next week. After the World Cup, she has Contender Tunis. Then in May, there the World Championships. So the chances are there, but I just hope she stays healthy.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

How do you rate the chances of mixed Hitomi Sato Muramatsu Yuto in Havirov?

The combined talent is more than any other Mixed Doubles pair, but I'm not sure how if they've trained together before. Hitomi, for sure has immense doubles experience so I would be more concerned about Muramatsu's doubles readiness. Talent wise, they can win the title, but it will depend on how much they've trained together and how well they mesh.

 

[zeio]

SF
LYJ 2-4 LSS (5, -5, -9, -2, 8, -9)
Similar to Ito, not enough has actually changed for LYJ...

 

[d3nium]

LSS is a beast! In this form he's got a great chance of winning the tournament. Take a bow son!

 

[zeio]

It's rare to see Bobrow get the rules wrong when Franziska was faulted...

The net height is 15.25cm (from the old days of 6 in, which is 15.24cm to be exact) rather than 16.25cm. Likely confused with the toss that must be higher than 16cm...

 

[joshmak10]

I would have never thought LSS would make a champions final but here we are!

 

[turbozed]

Damn that Game 4 by LSS to take it 11-2 against LYJ was one of the more dominating and impressive games I've seen in a while. Some beautiful confident shotmaking there.

 

[blahness]

Lee Sang Su omfg he is playing like an absolute beast now. Big FH and big BH. Guy be like "go big or go home". He is so fit physically that it seems like he is still 20+ lol.

 

[banbekas]

Everything is working wonderfully for him in this tournament which is unusual for him. LSS hasn't changed his approach to the game, it's just the percentage of the shot going in is higher than ever, pretty much like when he bested FZD. If he is able to keep the consistency, he is up there with the very best.

 

[blahness]

Everything is working wonderfully for him in this tournament which is unusual for him. LSS hasn't changed his approach to the game, it's just the percentage of the shot going in is higher than ever, pretty much like when he bested FZD. If he is able to keep the consistency, he is up there with the very best.

Usually he misses a lot of his big FHs and BHs and loses. This tournament they were pretty much all landing...

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Similar to Ito, not enough has actually changed for LYJ...

you adding him to your retire list?

 

[NextLevel]

Yes my post was referring to him historically but he has clearly a lot of game left in his tank recently. He beat Fan Zhendong just about a year and a half ago. In the last year he's beaten Shinozuka, Franziska, Yuan Licen, Huang Youzheng, Xiang Peng, Kallberg, Ma Long, and LGY twice. Not top Chinese depending on your interpretation (besides ML) but the point is that he's always had a playstyle that poses a risk and has shown he has the ability to beat anyone on his best days.

When did he beat Shinozuka?

 

[NextLevel]

you adding him to your retire list?

The "stats" have shown he can lose to "inferior" players. This is no different.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

The "stats" have shown he can lose to "inferior" players. This is no different.

if zeio is ITTF president
the world ranking list will only have 5 players

 

[NetProphet]

Players who make WR1 as the definition of "tier 1" is a pretty narrow definition of a tier but to each their own.

When I look at the players who have occupied the WR1 I think it's a fair definition for Tier 1.
How else to separate the absolute best and most consistent from the rest?

Accepting that definition though, how many non-Chinese have beaten ML twice (and almost a third), FZD, XX twice, and ZJK, all of whom were WR1 players?

He's had some great results in 16 yrs.
If this puts him in your tier 1 then ok.

So if I agree he's had some great results what exactly are we disagreed on?
Your comment above reads as if I said LSS was completely useless and never a threat to anyone. But I didn't say that.
It seems you're alledging that because 'on his day' years back he was capable of a few flash results that he might still be a threat to the top Chinese players. Am I understanding you correctly?

I don't think he can still beat the best Chinese players, finding more results from his past won't change my opinion on that because the truth is when Chinese players have been involved he's never won anything...
That's not someone who (at an age not many players can find an upward trajectory) I can regard as a serious threat.
But I'd be happy to be wrong. An Indian Summer in his career would be amazing and judging by how he dispatched LYJ then maybe it's here 🤷‍♂️

 

[Colin Ksh]

LSS is fast and his reflexes are crazy. Aside that, did anyone notice he’s using a different blade? Looks like fzd alc but pretty much a custom. Now that he even switch to FL. He used to play ST handles ever since I could remember.

 

[NetProphet]

Damn that Game 4 by LSS to take it 11-2 against LYJ was one of the more dominating and impressive games I've seen in a while. Some beautiful confident shotmaking there.

That was some display alright 😎
The entire game was only four and a half minutes.
It's a highlight reel all by itself!