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Ball update: Tibhar 40+ SYNTT NG*** - Orange - Seamed More orange balls incoming.

Paul and Liam have just squeaked through in the doubles as well! The level of competition seems very high these days. Lots of upward pressure from the younger generation.

Truls did him in the end then. Good win for the youngster, shame for Paul. Shows how fine the margins are if you end up in the qualifying rounds.

According to the ITTF's report, first in the group goes through and then there's a lottery. 18 second placed players are drawn at random from the total of 23. Not sure when that takes place though.

Drinkhall v Moregard on Table 1 later today. Looking forward to that!

Thanks zeio, makes sense. Good to have that as a reference point. Kudos to BTY for putting the effort in.

So, if I'm reading that correctly, Hard has the easiest short game, slow loop and counterloop of the three? According to BTY?

I don't think the game is moving towards them as a rule, but IMO the new generation of (male) pro players are very hard hitting, from all distances. I think it's smart for BTY to offer a hard version of T05 as an option, because some players will want that. Not everyone, but some will and they...

That's right. And BTY rate SpinArt's spring sponge as 48, so it isn't going to be brick-hard. I think it's a good move considering where the game has gone over the last few years, but the price is always going to rub me up the wrong way.

Yeah, the ML5's handle is a pain for balance. One option is to send it to a custom blade maker and have the handle replaced with a larger/heavier one.

Sounds like something a psychopath would say.

Away from the table looping - it's OK. Spin is good but from distance you have to pay attention to the arc because it stays lower than some of its peers. Counterlooping - excellent. It's very stable and forgiving of timing/power errors. Counter tends to stay low and nasty. Fishing - not...

If you absolutely had to pick a Rasanter to replace T05, it would be R47 yes. But they aren't that close. IMO R47 is more linear, easier to use, much better blocking and flat hitting, less sensitive to spin. But it's also lower arc and you have to put your own muscle into the stroke to get...

Yes, absolutely. There will never be a good direct comparison between Baracuda and the Rasanter series - the whole rubber composition is just too different. The new Hexers might be a closer match, if you want something new.

If you're prepared to use booster and don't mind the faff, this is a good shout too. Baracuda is cheap(ish) too!

R47 is really different. G1 and Baracuda are from a similar ESN release cycle, have a lot of similar properties. Rasanter is more recent - you get a matte topsheet, less catapult, more linearity (and for me, a better feeling of "grab" on the plastic ball, but not everyone agrees with that)...

This depends on your technique and habits IMO. I tend to be aggressive when opening up off backspin so they're pretty much as easy as each other, but I got a faster ball with G1. On "softer" openers, Baracuda seemed to generate a higher arc so it was easier in that sense. Don't overthink it...

Yeah, this sums G1 v Baracuda up very well. G1 is pretty close to the ever-popular, dearly-departed Adidas P7. G1 is definitely faster than Baracuda, pretty much equal in spin on stronger strokes. Baracuda gives more spin on lower-effort shots though, which makes it more spin sensitive as...

From what I've seen so far (I've used Europe, Pro and Asia), the Omega 7 line is a real departure from previous ESN rubbers (like Omega 5) due to the topsheet. It's really very different and has a softer feel than previously seen. So you need a harder sponge underneath it to compensate and...

I had two really bad sessions with the Nexxus. It was back during the crazy heatwave we had so could have been down to humidity, or me being on the verge of passing out or whatever, but I just couldn't hit a barn door with it. It put me off a bit! Nexxus has an amazing loop arc - it really...