Search results

"Slower" - so also easier to hit early off the bounce, the effect, in terms of a time given to ML to react, might be the same. Sorry guy's but I just don't believe, that the Kid could withstand more spin oriented and physically demanding game ... just don't. ... not sure, considering those...

Yeah ... I thought I can hear something coming from afar ...

Yes, but speed would be precisely one of the characteristics of the "new trend" ... taking the ball as early as possible thus leaving no time for the opponent. I really liked your observation usualsuspect, the lack of fh to fh rallies and the predominant bh exchanges. I watched again...

But precisely Mattias has done good results lately I think and is quite visible on the scene. The only thing I'm not convinced about, is if the rallies are in fact longer? Sure about it Andy44? For me it seems like serve and banana. I would like to see the statistics. Besides today ZJK proved...

Once again my congratulations to Mima Ito and Tomokazu! Great tournament and epoch results! Watching World Tours thanks to them (and others) will be interesting again. I wasn't planning to create this topic, but we had some discussion yesterday (in the Japan Open 2018 thread) about the changes...

I.e. I'm pretty sure Tomo - with full respect to this amazing kid - wouldn't be able to play fh to fh counters so easily.

2014/15 season to be precise (in our amateur leagues my team was living in a blissful ignorance till last year) ... well you have a good point, but still ML's game developed and matured during the cell era, and as I initially said his powerful spin game would be a greater obstacle for Hari for...

"certainly didn't decide" ... cell and plastic are two different eras, who knows ..

The thing which is really "not my absolute hero" is the poly ball - sorry, and I just tried to look on the match from this perspective. As to the rest I agree, Harimoto's result is unique! Japan must be proud.

I assume you played with those two kinds of balls. I know a coach, a friend of mine who stopped playing (competition level) after the introduction of poly (specially these first types, not even abs). Change is quite noticeable (for me at least too) and it's not too hard to imagine that different...

Ha ha ... just check Carl's signature, and you'll know ... ; )

Sure, but we just concentrated on the cell and ploy issue which is common for both players right?

Just check their head to head ...

Please read what I wrote: "But imho using good old celluloid balls the power of ML's fh would be a grater obstacle for young players like Harimoto ..." - a "greater obstacle", I didn't say it was a definite reason for the loss. Would it be harder for Tomokazu to beat ML with cell ... imho I...

Not at all. ML could spin the celluloid in every possible direction you can possibly imagine. One needed to have a great physical strength for this. Such game was never a part of Tomo's.

Well ... Ma was pretty dominant since 2011 a guess ... his first W. Champ was 2015 (was the new plastic there already?) It was always a discussion back then, who is better ZJK (even the titles he has won) or ML. I think it was ZJK's luck 2011 London etc. that it was ML who had to play Wang Hao...

Tabletennisuk ... surely Harimot's win is something great, I want to analyse what happened in all its aspects. Players are still adopting to the new balls and my remark is legitimate since ML is generally the 40mm cell balls era master, greatest possibly. New balls emphasize different aspects...

Don't want to take away anything from Tomokazu - great kid, even greater victory - truly amazing and unprecedented! But imho using good old celluloid balls the power of ML's fh would be a grater obstacle for young players like Harimoto ...

Btw, those new balls (specially the ones they use in Shenzen) are really fast and hard - I think. Harimoto - Jike match was another one with very little rallies.

0:4 ... yep end of an era. Jike's come back wasn't the case ..