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not entirely convinced but the progress is impressive.

Calderano is significantly older which is the main reason I didn't mention him. These are great times for table tennis, all these talents roughly 18-25 years old battling it out. Likely to continue for another 4 years at least.

Oh, the Russian backhand tradition is well and alive lol.

This is not about being the better player, this is about being the complete player. Usually, the move that separates a complete player from an incomplete player at the top level is the ability to pivot and hit the inside out forehand - Vlad has a good backhand and short game so that is not up...

His victory speech about being unable to play WTT events and having dreams where he won a big one and then waking up to acknowledge it was a dream made me happier for him knowing how sad he must have been in those days. Sora has an edge, but Vlad is also a lefty so that helps a little. Vlad...

1. The score is wrong in the notes - it was 9-10, 10-10, 10-12, endline for Sidorenko. 2. 0-3 and 3-4 is a difference because it speaks to the ability of the player to solve the problems posed by the opponents in real time, though Truls had the advantage of knowing Sidorenko and playing him...

He is powerful from both sides, and very complete. But complete players like that are forehand players by definition, same with Sora and Wang Chuqin. It is the ones that sometimes struggle to defend the middle or counterloop with forehand like Harimoto and Lin Shidong or the ones that win a...

That has been a theme even in the matches he wins by good margins lol. I guess the harder he works, the luckier he gets, because to be fair, a lot of his luck comes from his never-die attitude.

After the shoulder injury, game 4 made us forget it. But games 5 and 6 have been all Vlad the Sid... Truls has been decoded so he has to play table tennis now.

You make it sound like he would do it if he was winning more points lol. But it is really something for their coach and sports psychologists to address, even the more mellow Gauzy threatens to fling his racket every now and then.

He is French, they encourage expressive play.

We are going off topic, if you have data that says he supports the war, then feel free to move this to the politics thread. He has accepted playing and competing under a flag that is not his original nationality. That is enough of an insult to bear IMHO. This discussion on this thread is closed.

In an era when review is possible, such things should be welcomed. The original call was not in line with VAR usage. It did not affect the result. Why keep it?

Things change all the time especially when something goes on longer than expected and they are not playing under the Russian flag, which is what some people find most important. Do you think it is important that someone like Sidorenko be unable to play because of government actions he has no...

That's a typical zeio assessment. There were too many civil wars to make that the primary conclusion. That Sato should beat Wang Manyu and call that a disappointment because she lost to Kuai Man is also weird. It is more reasonable to say that Odo was a disappointment. Hayata losing to Miwa...

Felix vs Truls Winner: Everyone (okay, Truls) Sun vs Miwa Winner: Miwa (Yeah, too much alcohol)

I dont entirely agree but I understand the main point and think it is an important perspective.

Every player on earth has blown a 10-6 lead. No exceptions. Zhang Jike blew a 10-4 game 7 lead against Yan An. And in addition to Vlad's power overwhelming Harimoto's defenses, he got more than his fair share of breaks. Yes Harimoto struggles more when playing players who outperform their...

I guess we will see about Harimoto when that rematch comes. Sidorenko has been getting more than his fair share of breaks - will see if this continues.

He was outplayed in the Sidorenko match and got some unlucky breaks. That is not incompleteness.