ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2025, 4/14-20

[blahness]

If you look at TTR faults, it's almost always the head obstructing the ball before the contact. IMO it's actually very easy for the contact to be visible to both corners while passing behind the head before contact. This change in rules would have the least impact on the game while legitimately penalizing those who gain an advantage through the illegality of their services.

There's no need to accommodate those who do this anyway. Why have rules if the rules are to be bent to suit people who don't care about the rules?

By the way the head obscuring the ball hurts the timing of the receiver significantly.

 

[blahness]

This makes it seem like WCQ cannot serve/ incapable of serving properly according to the rules. But from what I saw, his serves were clean virtually throughout the match. Opponents haven't had any issues on receive- which lends credence to the serve being straightforward. Even the long serve is debatable. Was his simple pendulum serve challenged and faulted?

WCQ's pendulum serve is definitely not clean. Lin Shidong's pendulum serve is way cleaner than his. The ball clearly goes missing in so many highlights on the way down.

 

[NextLevel]

If you look at TTR faults, it's almost always the head obstructing the ball before the contact. IMO it's actually very easy for the contact to be visible to both corners while passing behind the head before contact. This change in rules would have the least impact on the game while legitimately penalizing those who gain an advantage through the illegality of their services.

Of course it is easy for the ball to be visible while passing behind the head before contact. The issue is when it is not visible, who makes the call? In fact Ma Long was notorious for letting the ball disappear behind his head even if it was sometimes visible at contact. But when it was invisible at a critical point in the match, what is the recourse? How does the umpire tell the difference? Does the umpire continue to fault the player and hope that they can tell when the player is blocking the serve and when the player is not?

You are not addressing the point of how to umpire such calls. Do you know for example, the six inch toss came about because they didn't want people to argue over 3 inch or 2 inch or 1 inch tosses because the umpire would have difficulty? The idea was to force a toss, now people complain about the toss angle etc. Many people even think 6 inches is too little (see all the complaints on tosses which are low while remembering that 6 inches is the height of the net). Don't just think about the rule, think about enforcement. Think about what it means for people who want to push the rules to the limit.

 

[zeio]

Wang Manyu vs Kuai Man was a mystery - after being 2-1 up in sets and leading 8-3, she proceeds to make all sorts of weird easy mistakes on the FH loop and the loop movement starts to turn weird. Something wrong on her FH rubber?

She is still recovering from the injury in March. It's pretty severe.

 

[zeio]

Harimoto's BH opening loop against underspin has been so stale and lukewarm. I counted points where ppl pushed long to his BH with pace, and he pretty much never wins those points. The pattern is push long and then crush his BH opening loop. Hugo did it with extreme prejudice for so many points too. If he wants to improve his results, this has to be worked at. Either do early timing BH loops like what he did in his early career, use more variation (heavy topspin / no spin openings), get better placement (esp down the line opening BH loops - where is it?), or just train to open with more power. This (late timing, weak spin, mid depth) BH opening loops just ain't gonna cut it at the top level.

Hugo played well especially his FH but not amazingly well enough to warrant this degree of destruction to Harimoto...

Harimoto has addressed the BH issues in the interview with Butterfly after Paris 2024. I'll see if I can find time to translate it later.

 

[dingyibvs]

Of course it is easy for the ball to be visible while passing behind the head before contact. The issue is when it is not visible, who makes the call? In fact Ma Long was notorious for letting the ball disappear behind his head even if it was sometimes visible at contact. But when it was invisible at a critical point in the match, what is the recourse? How does the umpire tell the difference? Does the umpire continue to fault the player and hope that they can tell when the player is blocking the serve and when the player is not?

You are not addressing the point of how to umpire such calls. Do you know for example, the six inch toss came about because they didn't want people to argue over 3 inch or 2 inch or 1 inch tosses because the umpire would have difficulty? The idea was to force a toss, now people complain about the toss angle etc. Many people even think 6 inches is too little (see all the complaints on tosses which are low while remembering that 6 inches is the height of the net). Don't just think about the rule, think about enforcement. Think about what it means for people who want to push the rules to the limit.

That's easy, just let the TRR call faults.

 

[dingyibvs]

There's no need to accommodate those who do this anyway. Why have rules if the rules are to be bent to suit people who don't care about the rules?

By the way the head obscuring the ball hurts the timing of the receiver significantly.

I don't see how that's the case. The ball will fall at the same rate any other object falls. Anyone who's alive for long enough to play competitive TT at any level should have seen enough falling objects to visualize the entire trajectory of the ball once it's tossed.

 

[Bran]

If you look at TTR faults, it's almost always the head obstructing the ball before the contact. IMO it's actually very easy for the contact to be visible to both corners while passing behind the head before contact. This change in rules would have the least impact on the game while legitimately penalizing those who gain an advantage through the illegality of their services.

But visible for a split second upon contact vs invisible throughout is impossible to judge in practice without equipment and makes no actual difference to the current abuse. It doesn't enforce the spirit of the rule any further, it just allows people who hide their serves to carry on doing it with minimal changes. If this is your intention, then fine, but otherwise it changes almost nothing.

 

[zeio]

The easiest draw in her lifetime (KM was the only CNT player Ito defeated in the Paris 2024 cycle) and still couldn't break through. Should feel satisfied with the bronze medal handed to her by WYD.

WS SF
Ito 3-4 KM (9, 6, -4, -9, 8, -9, -7)
G4 84, 810, 6 in a row for KM, 910 TO for KM
Very enjoyable RTHK commentary by Ng Wing Nam and Lau Yiu Cho.
G5 80, 84 TO for Ito, 94, 98, 118
G6 20, 22, 42, 45, 65, 66, 76, 78, 98, 911
G7 40, 43, 53, 55, 65, 66, 76, 711

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...n-cup-2025-shenzhen-2-19-23.36119/post-509963

Nothing has changed. Still the same old washed-up Ito.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/attc-2024-astana-10-7-13.34886/post-485291

Ito's desire was there but her body shape, reaction time, and technical/tactical execution, which peaked between late 2019 and early 2020, were a shell of her former self. Even if she knew what to do, she just couldn't get it done. Most top players with double-inverted style know how to play her. The QF against Odo made that abundantly clear. SYS's withdrawal, SHW taking out Pyon Song Gyong, and her WR got her a bronze medal here, which is way more than her current game could've gotten her. She should feel satisfied with it.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...n-cup-2025-shenzhen-2-19-23.36119/post-510055

For me, KM is taking over the role of SYS in the Paris 2024 cycle, whereas WMY is taking over the role of CM. It's becoming clear after Paris 2024 and ATTC 2024 that SYS is starting to struggle to keep up in multiple events.

 

[JackJohnson]

Maybe serving rule needs to change where the ball must be visible from up and down without hiding the ball in some way .e.g using the head. It would be more easier to see without using TTR in domestic comps.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

lets go ito!!!!

 

[Janard]

Ito let's gooooo!

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

ITO LETS GO

 

[JackJohnson]

I hope Ito does not end up like Kallberg and Duda

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

lets gooo itooo... brutal

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

oh noooooo poor Mima

 

[NextLevel]

That's easy, just let the TRR call faults.

OK. When the tech is ready and it can be applied at more tournaments without interrupting the flow of play, that will be fine. Right now it can't do what you are asking.

 

[NextLevel]

oh noooooo poor Mima

Very poor. She can't keep the ball on the table just to rally, all she needs is kill...

 

[NextLevel]

Maybe serving rule needs to change where the ball must be visible from up and down without hiding the ball in some way .e.g using the head. It would be more easier to see without using TTR in domestic comps.

Players have resisted this so good luck.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Very poor. She can't keep the ball on the table just to rally, all she needs is kill...

didn't watch the match. i saw all the messages Go Mima !! so i thought she had won... oh noooooo