WTT Contender Series-2022

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She is the pride of Puerto Rico (no sarcasm). To get to where she is from a small island with little table tennis infrastructure is amazing.

But I do agree with you that she is ranked too high. Her game does not support this high of a ranking. I understand ITTF's desire to globalize the support, but in the end, I don't think it's healthy for her or the sport. If and when she drops out of the top 10, she might feel a sense of sadness initially, but I think it will be followed by a sense of relief. Hugo also gets the continental boost, but his game backs up his ranking to an extent. As for the sport, I don't think anyone honestly believes that Adriana is better than the CNT and JNT players that regularly play WTT events (Hirano, Kihara, Miwa Harimoto, Fan Siqi, Zhang Rui, etc). I understand that higher ranking doesn't necessarily mean better, but the general public has a sense that that should be the case for the most part. There's always go to be a certain amount of variability in rankings, but when the disparity is so great between #10 and JNT/CNT players trying to make it into top 10, it becomes somewhat embarrassing for the sport. Adriana is on par with the top Europeans so a top 30 ranking would probably make more sense. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a top 30 player. It still would be an amazing achievement for the island girl.

i totally agree with you. my rant is against WTT and WTT commentators / writers not against the girl. I'm tired to read "what an upset !"

Adriana is not deciding the rules. She's a strong and very entertaining player to watch, i even think she's got the best lobbing skills in the world for a girl - but that doesn't win a whole match.

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what is the name of the commentator during this tournament ?

 
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Being a top 20/top 30 (her true level) is indeed a good achievement for an athlete coming from a small country. But also bear in mind that Puerto Rico is a US organized country, that's why PR athletes, as the Virgin Islands ones (Tim Duncan for example) are benefiting from the US sport services.

It's been analyzed, documented, local competitions always benefit the smallest countries in the WTT ranking system, that's why Hugo Calderano is ranked so high with so much points, although is of course an outstanding athlete deserving that ranking: he's alone with Kanak Jah in the Pan American championships, same goes for Lily Zhang and Adriana Diaz. It's the same in Africa where Quadri Aruna is the only one to fight against the Egypt leadership.

Asia and Europe are definitely more accurate when it comes to the WTT rankings, exception being China of course, because the WTT regulations do not allow more than 6 players from the same country in the final draw of the non-feeder competitions.

If it were ELO rankings like Rating Central does, you'd get a more accurate picture of the rankings. The chess game has more than 30 russians or ex-USSR countries players ranked in the Top 100, and nobody complains.
 
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Being a top 20/top 30 (her true level) is indeed a good achievement for an athlete coming from a small country. But also bear in mind that Puerto Rico is a US organized country, that's why PR athletes, as the Virgin Islands ones (Tim Duncan for example) are benefiting from the US sport services.

It's been analyzed, documented, local competitions always benefit the smallest countries in the WTT ranking system, that's why Hugo Calderano is ranked so high with so much points, although is of course an outstanding athlete deserving that ranking: he's alone with Kanak Jah in the Pan American championships, same goes for Lily Zhang and Adriana Diaz. It's the same in Africa where Quadri Aruna is the only one to fight against the Egypt leadership.

Asia and Europe are definitely more accurate when it comes to the WTT rankings, exception being China of course, because the WTT regulations do not allow more than 6 players from the same country in the final draw of the non-feeder competitions.

If it were ELO rankings like Rating Central does, you'd get a more accurate picture of the rankings. The chess game has more than 30 russians or ex-USSR countries players ranked in the Top 100, and nobody complains.

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, but as far as table tennis is concerned it's part of the Latin America Table Tennis Union so doesn't "benefit" from U.S. Sport Services. I put the word benefit in quotes because USATT has no professional league and provides very little support for its athletes. On MyTT there was a discussion about Lily Zhang setting up a GoFundMe to get funding for her pro career. If you want to be a pro in the United States, you need to find a pro league in Europe or Asia. Sad, but true.

 
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Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, but as far as table tennis is concerned it's part of the Latin America Table Tennis Union so doesn't "benefit" from U.S. Sport Services. I put the word benefit in quotes because USATT has no professional league and provides very little support for its athletes. On MyTT there was a discussion about Lily Zhang setting up a GoFundMe to get funding for her pro career. If you want to be a pro in the United States, you need to find a pro league in Europe or Asia. Sad, but true.

As long as it's not Baseball, Basketball, Ice hockey orAamerican football, USA don't care for pro sport.

BUT they care for players development, that's why in many other sports like volley-ball, athletics track and field, or even women football (yeah you name it soccer, and you're wrong hahaha) many european or asian students go to the USA to learn how to be a pro, and then go back to european pro leagues.. That's how it works.

USA is the home of college and high school sport leagues. Lilly Zhang has learned in the US, as Kanak Jah, as the PR players too because they do many camps on the US soil: that's where the high level international coaches are, as Stellan Bengtsson for example.

Lilly Zhang complains for no valid reason: she would be offered a bunch of money if she asked to play in Austria for Linz, the multiple ETTU champions league winner, or even for french PRO A clubs like Saint Denis, Poitiers, Metz or Lille who have many foreign players. I mean... the situation is not that much better in the UK, and Liam Pitchford + Paul Drinkhall have learned in the UK then moved to France, or even Russia for Liam after the PRO A, to pursue a pro career. Adriana has even moved to India at some point...

Even asian players move to the Bundesliga, table tennis is international, face it or leave it. There are countries where you can develop your skills, and some where you can live a pro career. It's like that in many other sports.

People like Ibrahima Diaw complains but they don't have the minimum level required to win the qualifying draws in any WTT tournament, why would you give money to people that won't win ?

I mean... when you don't find a job near your home, you move somewhere else right ?

 
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And for your information, Puerto Rico is in the NCTTA championship, as Canada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Collegiate_Table_Tennis_Association

That's nice to know, but NCTTA has little to do with the development of pro level table tennis. Their goal is to popularize table tennis which is great! But by the time Adriana was college age, she was better than everyone in the colleges involved in NCTTA. Sports that are in the NCAA (volleyball, t/f, soccer) have access to lots of money for development whereas NCTTA is a non-profit, volunteer run organization.

 
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That's nice to know, but NCTTA has little to do with the development of pro level table tennis. Their goal is to popularize table tennis which is great! But by the time Adriana was college age, she was better than everyone in the colleges involved in NCTTA. Sports that are in the NCAA (volleyball, t/f, soccer) have access to lots of money for development whereas NCTTA is a non-profit, volunteer run organization.

And what did Adriana and Kanak ? they moved away from the US, exactly as Paul Dinkhall and Liam Pitchford did when they came in France.

You're only taking a few part of the information that pleases your theory: Puerto Rico isn't left alone for instance, they profit from the US structures. And as MANY pros all over the world: you have to move to another country to make a living, it's how pro sports work: brazilian footballers move to Europe, African ones move to France, all the planet moves to the English Premier League but all the UK table tennis pros move to Germany, France or Russia, and now even the biggest non chinese asian names are flying to ULM hahaha.

Back to what I've said, and I stand my words: Lily should stop complaining and move to Germany, India, Austria, Japan or France, she's not behaving like a true pro here building a strong career. She's got enough good results in the world tour to be able to monetize herself. I mean, even guys like Trezeguet, Pires (both world and european champion with France in 1998 and 2000) and Anelka (UCL winner with Real Madrid and euro champion with France) played in the Indian Super League at some point because they had to make a living ! Trezeguet even worked as a coach-player for Pune, that's what pros do.

 
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Also the pros in volleyball move to the Italian Super Lega for your information sir... they don't stay in the US because you can't make a living if it's not Baseball, ice hockey, NBA or NFL !

Soccer pays well for only 3 or 4 huge stars like Zlatan, Henry or Beckham, and there's nothing left for the others: the best US players are actually playing in the EPL or Bundesliga. The US girls in soccer plays in Lyon for many of them, or UK or Germany; The women's soccer business is only run by european clubs that builds franchise there in order to develop the girls and bring them back to Europe when they are good enough: Megan Rapinoe was a Lyon player before moving back to the US, and guess what ? she's actually playing in a Lyon's franchise named "OL Reign" ... read "Olympique Lyon Reign": she's actually still working for her french club president Jean-Michel Aulas, she's doing the french job hahaha

I'm also a VB setter and libero, so I know some things about the US College sport system.
 
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Women's USA VB team:
Rachel Adams plays for Istanbul
Foluke Gunderson in Hisamitsu Spings club in Japan, after Krasnodar (RUS), Bakou (AZE) and Zurich (SUI)
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley has also moved to Istanbul after the Super Lega
The famous Lauren Carlini is also in Turkey, after Dinamo Moscow and clubs in the Italian Super Lega

And it's quite the same for the boys ! Micah Christenson plays for Zenit Kazan (RUS) after Modena and Lube (Italy), TJ DeFalco plays now in Poland after France, Aaron Russell is now going to Japan after being one of the MVP of the best european club of all times in Italy, Trentino Volley.

And the list goes on and on and on....

NOBODY stays in the US, they all move to make their living.
 
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Watched Harimoto (Tomo not his sister) vs Alexis, I felt like Alexis kinda tricked Harimoto every single step of the way especially in terms of service and receive placement and spin. I don't think he will win against Harimoto the next time they play imo once WTT Contender Novo Gorica-2023 Harimoto and his team analyse his patterns etc...


Harimoto has improved his fundamentals a lot even when looking at the game he lost, especially in terms of his power on both wings, especially the FH loop is really looking better and better now.
 
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WTT Contender Novo Gorica-2022 - is the tenth table tennis tournament of the series in 2022 WTT Contender Series (and the eighth level tournament WTT Contenders), held in the hall of the Primary School Milojka Strukelj at the address: Delpinova ulica 7, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia in the city of Novo Gorica (Slovenia). WTT Contender Novo Gorica-2022 is held I feel Slovenia under patronage World Table Tennis (WTT) from October 31 to November 6, 2022. The prize money for medalists in the tournament was $75,000.
 
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Can someone tell me what's going on with Can Akkuzu suddenly winning more than 2 matches in a row ?🤣

Gauzy loosing vs an unknown young chinese taipei dude with only a 70% wins ratio is ... normal, but Can ! WHAAAAAT ??
 
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