ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2026, 3/30-4/5

[Dr Evil]

Another great tournament. The game keeps evolving. After about a decade, I think it's clear that the switch to the 40+ plastic ball has been a success.

 

[zeio]

It is hardly about moodiness. The kid is 18. Ii dont know where people get this idea from that 18 year olds are supposed to display the maturity of people 10 years older when battling stress. Thats why people think that someone getting repeated opportunities in the face of occasionally underwhelming results but obvious talent makes them benefactors of favoritism. It just never could be that people could see their talent and were willing to work through it regardless of whatever was blocking it and would block it because the upside was ridiculously high.

Weirdly enough, these same people will make fun of Japan for running a form of individualistic meritocracy when it suits them.

Care to remind me how old LYJ was at World Cup 2019 where he beat a post-surgery ML 4-3 in the 3rd place match? Keep in mind the other one was Harimoto who beat ML 4-2 in the SF.

LYJ said the reason he was able to push FZD to G7 at Tokyo 2020 was because the stadium was so quiet.

 

[NetProphet]

18 maturity enough. Many players at same age and yonger much more mentally stable then Sora. Harimoto at 14 was more stable

Pointing to kid's that were 'mature for their age' isn't the answer here.
You simply have to accept that he is a kid at 18 and that as a kid he has a lot of growing up and maturing to do.
Just because Harimoto has a very different personality doesn't mean he didn't suffer in pressure situations and fail before better learning how to deal with things.

And I'm not suggesting that Sora has failed at all.
Expecting an 18 yr old prodigy to beat someone who has spent 10+ years in the CNT, has playing partnered Ma Long and FZD for much of that time and is currently the best in the world is not realistic.
But tell us, what age are you and how mature were you at 18?
You were mature enough to handle world Cup finals without issue at that age?
I don't think anybody is believing that.
Imo you're not showing enough respect and appreciation for this kid who has worked his ass off to do what he did this week.
There was a member before who's no longer here, who was so quick to hammer the LeBruns when they made mistakes as teenagers.
What would you like a coach, community, environment etc to do with teenagers who err, show weakness or submit to their flaws? Berate them? Or help them?
What if it was you at the same age? Or your son or daughter?

18 simply is NOT mature enough for most young men.

 

[NetProphet]

Care to remind me how old LYJ was at World Cup 2019 where he beat a post-surgery ML 4-3 in the 3rd place match? Keep in mind the other one was Harimoto who beat ML 4-2 in the SF.

LYJ said the reason he was able to push FZD to G7 at Tokyo 2020 was because the stadium was so quiet.

Just because it's been done on occasion doesn't make it a stick to beat kids who dont achieve it.

It might happen on occasion but it should never be expected.
These unrealistic expectations are the very thing that can crush kids. Sora should be celebrating a week where he has played as the almost best player in the world.

 

[piligrim]

Pointing to kid's that were 'mature for their age' isn't the answer here.
You simply have to accept that he is a kid at 18 and that as a kid he has a lot of growing up and maturing to do.
Just because Harimoto has a very different personality doesn't mean he didn't suffer in pressure situations and fail before better learning how to deal with things.

And I'm not suggesting that Sora has failed at all.
Expecting an 18 yr old prodigy to beat someone who has spent 10+ years in the CNT, has playing partnered Ma Long and FZD for much of that time and is currently the best in the world is not realistic.
But tell us, what age are you and how mature were you at 18?
You were mature enough to handle world Cup finals without issue at that age?
I don't think anybody is believing that.
Imo you're not showing enough respe and appreciation for this kid who has worked his ass of to do what he did this week.
There was a member before who's no longer here, who was so quick to hammer the LeBruns when they made mistakes as teenagers!
What would you like a coach, community, environment etc to do with teenagers who err, show weakness or submit to their flaws? Berate them? Or help them?
What if it was you at the same age? Or your son or daughter?

18 simply is NOT mature enough for most young men.

I want to make clear. I like Sora and I am his big fan. Don't know why you think I am not accepting jim as kid and not respect him.
18 simply mature enough since from 18 age people allow to get married. how they can married if they still kids and not mature enough?
At 18 people go to army. How you give rifle for kids who not mature enough?

 

[zeio]

Hao Shuai still views Harimoto and LYJ (neck-and-neck in level but the latter having an edge in mentality) as the greatest threat to CNT.

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QzfQV55mf
体育课代表wik
26-4-4 16:56
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 虽然松岛辉空打莫雷加德这一场打的非常好，因为小莫技术现在掌控的技术不具备于松岛能竞争的这个实力，他打右手还可以，但是打左手，这球是很难打的。
但是作为中国队来讲，他是有一定的实力，头号晋级绝对还是张本智和与林昀儒！
从大赛的这种战绩就能看出来，小莫他再厉害，奥运会决赛被樊振东碾压性的，对张本是4比3，上一届东京奥运会，林昀儒对樊振东也是4比3，那可见这两个人的实力！
相信我的这个职业判断，因为我们都是从中国队出来的，站在中国队的角度，考虑的是非常专业，非常全面的！
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXImdnTW] 体育课代表wik的微博视频
(Hao Shuai: Although Matsushima Sora played exceptionally well against Moregard, Moregard's current technical skills don't match Matsushima's. He's okay against righties, but against lefties, the game becomes very difficult.

However, from the perspective of the Chinese team, Moregard has considerable strength. The top contenders for the next round are definitely still Harimoto Tomokazu and Lin Yun-Ju!

You can see this from their major tournament records. No matter how good Moregard is, he was completely outmatched by Fan Zhendong in the Olympic final, where it was 4-3 against Harimoto. In the previous Tokyo Olympics, Lin Yun-Ju also lost 3-4 to Fan Zhendong. That shows their strength!

Trust my professional judgment because we both come from the Chinese team and consider things from the Chinese perspective, making our analysis very professional and comprehensive!)

https://weibo.com/7749221413/QzdX04y25
心有光自暖
26-4-4 12:06
发布于 广东
来自 微博视频号
郝帅：中国队之所以就张本智和、林昀儒两个威胁最大，就是因为他们打球的气质，还有在大赛当中的意志品质是相当顽强的。你就看成绩就行，奥运会，两届奥运会里能和樊振东打到3比3、打到决胜局的，单打里只有他们两个。
小布再强，也只是进到前四，跟樊振东是4比0，樊振东跟张本智和是4比3。
包括上一届东京奥运会，林昀儒跟樊振东也是4比3。
你看这个战绩就能看出来，想跟樊振东打到3比3，谈何容易。
就他们两个能跟樊振东打到3比3，打到3比3就是第七局伯仲之间了。
小莫你再厉害，拿的冠军才多少，才一个。决赛按理说实力水平旗鼓相当，但跟樊振东4比1就完败。
所以大家要看这个数据，看这个比分就能看出来。#一分钟视频创作季# [http://t.cn/AXInD0D6] 心有光自暖的微博视频
(Hao Shuai: The reason why Harimoto Tomokazu and Lin Yun-Ju pose the biggest threat to the Chinese team is because of their playing style and their incredibly tenacious willpower in major competitions. Just look at their results. In the Olympics, across two Games, only those two players in singles managed to reach 3-3 and the decider with Fan Zhendong.

No matter how strong Little B is, he only reached the top four, 0-4 against Fan Zhendong, while Fan Zhendong won 4-3 against Harimoto Tomokazu.

Including the previous Tokyo Olympics, Fand Zhendong also won 4-3 against Lin Yun-Ju.

You can see from these records that reaching 3-3 with Fan Zhendong is extremely difficult.

Only those two could reach 3-3 with Fan Zhendong, meaning the seventh game was a close contest.

No matter how strong Little Mo is, he only has one title [likely referring to EUR GS 2025, ignoring WTT CS Montpellier 2025, WTT FEE Stockholm 2023 and WTT CT Budapest 2021]. In the final, their skill levels were theoretically even, but he was completely defeated by Fan Zhendong 1-4.

So you can see that by looking at this data and this score.)

---

Ahead of World Cup 2026, saying it still comes down to the real majors.

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QyevJi3wH
体育课代表wik
自主创作
26-3-28 23:41
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 张本智和与林昀儒的谁上限高？
他俩谁发挥好，谁上线都高。现在这种技术体系是相当不错的。林昀儒发球会比张本好一些，发的更快，
弹幕:感觉莫雷加德可不好打？
郝帅: 那是因为你不会打会打的，你让王楚钦跟他打试试，莫雷加德都没什么戏！
#一分钟视频创作季# [http://t.cn/AXILFoh5] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

https://weibo.com/7790173399/Qwg4RxPSp
体育课代表wik
26-3-16 00:00
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 我觉得张本智和林昀儒当成中国队的头号对手，像勒布伦这种都是都是第二梯队的，偶尔那么一次发挥好了，这是很正常。
奥运会尤其是樊振东对阵张本和勒布伦的时候，看看那个比分，看看樊振东他自己本人的压力，中国队的压力，哪个更让大家感觉到有威胁，最后然后樊振东的这个人能力也还是扭转回来的
不能看平时的公开赛，要看真正大赛谁对中国队的威胁最大！
反正我不代表其他人的看法，要我选我还选张本智和林昀儒，是最厉害的外协力量。
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXVFl7jv] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QvXb8jEOo
体育课代表wik
26-3-13 23:53
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 林昀儒凭现在的实力还没到达真正巅峰。
预测一下张本智和和台林谁胜率相对高点
我觉得一半一半，其实他俩打法风格都差不多，只不过是一右手一右一个左手。
看他俩明天谁的心态。技术发挥心态运气。谁更好一些吧，他俩整体实力是差不多的，
我觉得小林的心态会比摩托好一些，他属于那种人狠话不多的
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXVmyTv1] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

 

[NetProphet]

I want to make clear. I like Sora and I am his big fan. Don't know why you think I am not accepting jim as kid and not respect him.
18 simply mature enough since from 18 age people allow to get married. how they can married if they still kids and not mature enough?
At 18 people go to army. How you give rifle for kids who not mature enough?

No, no and no.
18 is NOT mature enough and your arguments aren't mature enough either. No disrespect intended but I'm assuming you are a kid yourself and you just don't know any better.
But 18 is 18 and you can point to what's allowed in law but that only means consequence is now upon you.
You are looking at it backwards.
Are you think ling that people magically develop maturity upon celebrating their 18th birthday?
They don't.
You seem to think 18 is a magic number.
Anyway, as arrogant as this sounds I know enough about this subject to say that you are categorically incorrect and so I will leave it there.

 

[NextLevel]

Of course Sora shouldn't be same as others. I only not agree with part where you said in 18 is not enough to be mature. At 18 people go to army and use weapon. If 18 mature enough to use m16 and drive tank should be mature enough to play table tennis

Thats very fine and well, maybe at 18, you were the top player in your country and had the pressure of the country on you. And in many countries. 18 is not mature enough to do many things, most 18 year olds with few exceptions are still counseled extensively by their parents in order to ensure they do not do stupid things. 18 year olds fighting wars is a tragedy and a necessity of a terrible existence, not a sign of maturity. To each his own.

 

[piligrim]

No, no and no.
18 is NOT mature enough and your arguments aren't mature enough either. No disrespect intended but I'm assuming you are a kid yourself and you just don't know any better.
But 18 is 18 and you can point to what's allowed in law but that only means consequence is now upon you.
You are looking at it backwards.
Are you think ling that people magically develop maturity upon celebrating their 18th birthday?
They don't.
You seem to think 18 is a magic number.
Anyway, as arrogant as this sounds I know enough about this subject to say that you are categorically incorrect and so I will leave it there.

I have same right as you to post my opinion. Does what forum for. Doesn't matter I am 18 or 80. You also should consider I can be older then you.

 

[piligrim]

Thats very fine and well, maybe at 18, you were the top player in your country and had the pressure of the country on you. And in many countries. 18 is not mature enough to do many things, most 18 year olds with few exceptions are still counseled extensively by their parents in order to ensure they do not do stupid things. 18 year olds fighting wars is a tragedy and a necessity of a terrible existence, not a sign of maturity. To each his own.

I wasnt mean this World Cup but his behavior in general in any tournament. When he is losing he just gave up and stop playing. I don't think its becouse his age. Is more about his personality

 

[NextLevel]

Care to remind me how old LYJ was at World Cup 2019 where he beat a post-surgery ML 4-3 in the 3rd place match? Keep in mind the other one was Harimoto who beat ML 4-2 in the SF.

LYJ said the reason he was able to push FZD to G7 at Tokyo 2020 was because the stadium was so quiet.

You mean the world cup after Ma Long came to the US for knee surgery that August that saved him from retiring? Since you cited wins by Nagasaki over ZYL from a period where we now know she was dealing with undiagnosed cancers, I no longer am surprised by your using anything to not cede a simple common sense point.

In any case, the point here is not to say that specially mature children cannot exist or that it is a good thing to look lackadaisical and crestfallen when things are not going your way. The point here is that it is normal to accept that males still grow and develop in fortitude with experience well after the age of 18 and experiences, hormones and many other factors can lead to their developing many coping mechanisms in addition to their default ones. If this is not the case, we might as well forget about the possibility of rehabilitating individuals once they go off the beaten path. I have given some examples to show that this is not true, including Wang Chuqin himself. Sora could very well have not succeeded but every thing I have seen of him showed he has been very much worth the investment, the attitudes of people who have no investment in his success have been understandable but often appalling.

We give them the support and continue to expose them and hope it will pay off. We don't go "you are a bad loser, you are worthless" and end it there. You were insulting the kid as a failure when he was Japanese national champion at 17. It made no sense.

 

[joshmak10]

WCQ MY GOATTTT!

Finally is 2/3 of the way to the Grand Slam. Defeated a very impressive sora who i think will be the Japanese number 1 very soon. His power is crazy and once that mental game improves he will be basically unstoppable. But my GOATs mental game all this tournament has been nothing short of god like

 

[ShakehandJpenCpenEnjoyer]

Sora and WQC played so good today. Both so aggresive, high risk high reward playstyle.

And i am happy for Sora for showing to world that his mental game has leveled up. Last set losing 10-4 but he kept fighting to 10-8.
Also godly mental toughness from WQC for the come back from losing 3-2

 

[NextLevel]

I wasnt mean this World Cup but his behavior in general in any tournament. When he is losing he just gave up and stop playing. I don't think its becouse his age. Is more about his personality

As Jesus said. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. His issue is very manageable and is clearly being managed. People with very high expectations for themselves are sometimes not resilient when they struggle because they think things should be easier than they are. Paradoxically, this has been one of the weaknesses of the much hailed as mature Harimoto, he does well against the Ma Longs and Fan Zhendongs and struggles a lot when he is the favorite and is losing to an underdog. He has gotten better at handling this with age and experience, the very age and experience that you refuse to let Sora acquire.

At least Sora hates struggling against everyone, Harimoto would low-key freeze when he was struggling against lower ranked but good players like An Jaehyun, Darko Jorgic, Xu Fei, Chen Junsong and most notoriously Jakub Dyjas. Again sometimes we focus on appearances and don't see the big picture. Despite all these issues. Sora like Harimoto is a World Cup silver medallist and 2 time Japanese national champion. As a coach, you work through the issue. As a fan do whatever you want. But the history of sports is filled with such individuals, some who got better at managing their issues as they grew older, some who did not. It is worth it for Japan to give him the help he needs as they are doing.

 

[NetProphet]

I have same right as you to post my opinion. Does what forum for. Doesn't matter I am 18 or 80. You also should consider I can be older then you.

You do have the right to an opinion and I respect that right.
I am making assumptions on your age based on what you've written and maybe I'm wrong about your age but your thoughts on the subject do lend to thinking that.
In any case, we disagree and so we might as well leave it at that.

 

[mamedium]

I have same right as you to post my opinion. Does what forum for. Doesn't matter I am 18 or 80. You also should consider I can be older then you.

if you two are 18 and up, get a room

 

[FIXPOINT]

ITTF Men's & Women's World Cup Macao 2026 WS Final

ITTF Men's & Women's World Cup Macao 2026 MS Final

 

[NetProphet]

if you two are 18 and up, get a room

Don't you just mean have a pint?
I'm not sure what you're wanting to happen here but please, keep those thoughts to yourself 😂

 

[mamedium]

Don't you just mean have a pint?
I'm not sure what you're wanting to happen here but please, keep those thoughts to yourself 😂

sharing is caring

 

[DrBean]

I want to make clear. I like Sora and I am his big fan. Don't know why you think I am not accepting jim as kid and not respect him.
18 simply mature enough since from 18 age people allow to get married. how they can married if they still kids and not mature enough?
At 18 people go to army. How you give rifle for kids who not mature enough?

Latest research suggest adolescence may run through 32.

You're conflating multiple areas of philosophy, science, and legal theory.

The military needs bodies, not critical thinkers, at the enlisted level. Tell me, do officers commission after 6 months of basic? (It doesn't seem like you've hung out around members of the military very much, if at all.)

Menses begin at 12, you can become pregnant then. How can you become a parent if you're not mature enough?