ITTF WTTTC Finals London 2026, 4/28-5/10

[kindof99]

Does winning the championship mean CNT still very strong and continue to dominate? My feel is maybe not. LJK will retire soon and LSD could not solve his technique problem here. WCQ is still the only one standing for CNT ATM. We will see how WRB progresses in the near future, another WCQ or another XP.

 

[mihalichtheone]

Was able to watch almost every game in the finals. What an epic match!

On the side note, this thread is so big I wonder if anyone discussed how Sora played vs WCQ and his reactions on how Tomo was loosing some points ?

It's like he was rushing to serve, rolling his eyes when Tomo missed, etc. Almost disrespectful to opponent and even his own team members..this attitude just cant happen when you play with a team and share the same goal.

 

[NextLevel]

Was able to watch almost every game in the finals. What an epic match!

On the side note, this thread is so big I wonder if anyone discussed how Sora played vs WCQ and his reactions on how Tomo was loosing some points ?

It's like he was rushing to serve, rolling his eyes when Tomo missed, etc. Almost disrespectful to opponent and even his own team members..this attitude just cant happen when you play with a team and share the same goal.

Yet Wang was doing almost the same exact thing when his teammates were losing in the prelims. .I think sometimes we act as if a player projecting disappointment or even anger when his teammate misses is something bad.

 

[d3nium]

Maybe Harimoto needed a slap off his coach. It worked for Daniel Dubois on Saturday lol.

 

[longle]

when someone leads 2-0 and loses the match, he gets LJK'ed

 

[JackJohnson]

Maybe Harimoto needed a slap off his coach. It worked for Daniel Dubois on Saturday lol.

He needs to go back to having his dad as his coach. Kishikawa seems to not say anything to Harimoto when coaching. Needs a coach thats more vocal and confrontational than passive.

 

[NextLevel]

Does winning the championship mean CNT still very strong and continue to dominate? My feel is maybe not. LJK will retire soon and LSD could not solve his technique problem here. WCQ is still the only one standing for CNT ATM. We will see how WRB progresses in the near future, another WCQ or another XP.

They clearly had problems, Liang bought them time but the problems are still real. And I think Liang's performance (or the opponents instability, depending on your perspective) masked a lot of instability from other players. That said, it will be hard to bet against them unless Coton, Felix and Sora make major improvements or new talent comes in. Until a team produces a player that can challenge Wang or Wang falls off, I am done betting against China.

 

[banbekas]

Quality isnt the only definition of spin and spin variation. You need to use the spin to stay consistent. You also don't need that much of a backswing to generate spin, a lot of it is using the fingers to make the right kind of contact.

And consistency to keep the ball on the table doesn't need require that much spin.

 

[banbekas]

Does winning the championship mean CNT still very strong and continue to dominate? My feel is maybe not. LJK will retire soon and LSD could not solve his technique problem here. WCQ is still the only one standing for CNT ATM. We will see how WRB progresses in the near future, another WCQ or another XP.

Yes and no.

The gap is actually much closer than the end score suggested. LSD is very strong, a few losses is normal at this point of his career. He looked weak because the benchmark is either Ma Long, FZD, ZJK, or XX.

If you look back at WCQ's career, he also suffered lost after lost but it wasnt noticeable due to the presence of ML and FZD. It won't be long until he stabilizes himself mentally and dominate the world.

WRB is the one who would stuck on this level. People talk about him destroying people left and right but LSD did the same thing and even topped the ranking. Only a matter of time until he loses his mojo and reveals his real level.

 

[NetProphet]

when someone leads 2-0 and loses the match, he gets LJK'ed

When you're leading two-nil and it's all going brill that's three more, eh.
When it gets to two-one but you're still having fun that's two more.
When it's gets to two-two and they all look at you that's one more, eh.
Oh but now it's two-three and they all look at me that's nomore, that's nomore , that's nomore.......
Liang Jing Kunnnnhhhnnnn!!!!

Dean Martin wouldn't appreciate this but I can't get that song out of my mind now 😂

 

[Metaxa]

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch any of the finals yesterday because we had to play the Final Four in our own league, which was much more important!🤣

 

[longle]

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch any of the finals yesterday because we had to play the Final Four in our own league, which was much more important!🤣

so... did you get LJK'ed ?

 

[NetProphet]

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch any of the finals yesterday because we had to play the Final Four in our own league, which was much more important!🤣

Did you win?

 

[Metaxa]

Did you win?

Our team finished last. I’m cautiously optimistic, as we managed a 50/50 record. That said, I was playing against opponents who were between 14 and 29 years younger than me.

 

[kindof99]

so... did you get LJK'ed ?

If you come back from 0:2, can you say you just LJKize?

 

[baotran]

Both Tomokazu and Alexis have to look at how Felix cameback from being 0-1 down with 6-10 to win 2-1 against LJK at MTWC. Extremely careful and focus at every points, using placements and variations instead of power when LJK was on the lead. Good placements would not let LJK used his spin games effectively.

 

[blahness]

It's actually quite interesting what this tournament is starting to show. Basically there are a few schools of thought in TT styles now among the top players with very distinct styles forming.

1) deceptive service+3rd ball+ powerloop almost everything and overpower the opponent from mid distance - Sora, Wang Chuqin, Togami, Alexis, Hugo, Jang Woojin, etc...

2) play with a lot of spin and just vary placement and spin/speed ratios all the time with a focus on stability with variation - LJK, LYJ, Wang Manyu, Miwa. This class of players barely make unforced errors and would rather reduce errors than playing risky shots.

3) play close table speedy shots and jam the opponents to rob them of time till they make mistakes or get out of position. Tomo, Felix, Sun Yingsha.

As of now all 3 styles are fairly evenly matched. It is quite interesting to watch the matches unless the camera angle sucks (which is most of the time unfortunately).

LSD's problem is that he tries to play a spin based style like LJK but just doesnt have the stability to execute it. His natural style is not that but similar to FZD in that it is speedy and powerful BH-FH linkage that overwhelm people by robbing them of time. He is backing way too much now which doesnt suit him imo. Coaches should allow him to play his natural speedier game imo....

 

[crystalline]

This Instagram short video was from TTD Instagram account where they interviewed many top players and asked them to build their perfect TT player. I watched a few of these last year including this one by Tomo, I didn’t know of his history with LJK back then but now this video came back to me; I found the link, sharing here. The interview and the post date was March 2025:
(Pay attention who he chose for “mental”)

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[NextLevel]

And consistency to keep the ball on the table doesn't need require that much spin.

In my experience, the most consistent players generate the most spin and in doing so often master how to manipulate and vary it in a variety of ways and under different circumstances. You may have a different experience and that is entirely fine.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Ranking points earned from the WTTTC for Japan

Tomo: 663
Sora: 368
Togami: 368

Miwa: 609
Hina: 365
Honoka: 304