So, I put this post into the thread for the world championships:
Alright, I am going to say this and I don't think any of the Ma Long fans out there are going to like it.
I was hoping Ma Long could win the World Championships this year and put the whole discussion to rest. But, two things I saw this morning in the first two quarter final matches (Ma Long v Timo Boll and Wang Hao v Yan An) made me realize he could not win and made me realize he would lose to Wang Hao.
First, I saw Timo make Ma Long struggle with a good and intelligent short game. Second, I saw Wang Hao use the short game and the same Jedi mind tricks on Yan An in their quarter final match that he used on Ma Long in 2011 WTTC.
Yan An's short game is better than Ma Long's. Yan An's BH is better than Ma Long's. But Ma Long's FH is better than anyone's so people sometimes seem to miss this that his short game is not as good as it needs to be.
So when I saw Ma Long struggling against Timo and what Wang Hao did to Yan An, I had a feeling Ma Long still could not handle Wang Hao.
It was not nerves. Ma Long would never have gotten past Timo without Liu Gouliang in his corner. Liu Gouliang saved Ma Long several times in that match when he was falling prey to Timo's short game.
I knew, against Wang Hao, he would not have LG in his corner. I knew he could not handle the short game and the Jedi mind trick. Wang Hao was nice and eased up for games 4 and 5. In game 6 he decided to end it: and look at the score.
Zhang Jike's short game is good enough to handle Wang Hao, and in big events, against the better players, he comes to play and win. He did not show up for Baum. He knew he could win without being fully there. He showed up for Xu Xin. He will show up tomorrow.
I believe Zhang Jike will win. But we will see what Wang Hao has up his sleeve.
And, unless Ma Long gets a real top flight short game and improves his backhand, he cannot win WTTC. But, honestly, I think this was his last chance.
This is something that only really clicked for me today. This is not just a case of nerves. He could play Wang Hao over and over and he will not beat him in this kind of situation. Wang Hao brought his A game and every trick he could pull out.
I really thought Yan An was going to take care of Wang Hao and Ma Long would get passed Yan An. But when I saw what Wang Hao did to Yan An, I knew Ma Long could not get passed Wang Hao. Wang Hao did the same thing to Yan An that he did to Ma Long 2 years ago in the 2011 WTTC. And in doing it, he broke Yan An's game down just like he broke Ma Long's game down 2 years ago and just like he did today.
This has to do with the fact that Ma Long's backhand is not strong enough to control rallies with his backhand, and his short game is not good enough when someone can frustrate him and keep him from launching that giant forehand.
His forehand is better than anyones.
His backhand is NOT.
And his short game is not good enough to keep him in the points when someone like Wang Hao uses those tactics.
Wang Hao's backands down the line that caught Ma Long flat footed deep in the backhand corner after turning to his forehand are part of the reason he needs a better backhand. If he had been able to go backhand to backhand with Wang Hao, those backhands down the line are within reach. But as soon as Wang Hao saw him turning to his forehand, Wang Hao ripped the ball down the line with his backhand and made Ma Long pay for turning to his forehand so deep on his backhand side. Then he did not know what to do. If he turns to his forehand he gets burned down the line, if he stays on his backhand he gets burned backhand to backhand. Timo had him a little confused about where to move and when to turn to his forehand as well today.
This is not nerves, an accident or fate. This was a great tactical win for Wang Hao. He knew what he was doing. I don't care how many times Ma Long beats Wang Hao in regular World Tour events. On this big stage where it really counts, Wang Hao pulled out every trick he had in his bag: stuff Ma Long has not seen since the last WTTC. And Ma Long was not able to handle it because he does not have the skills to cope with what Wang Hao threw at him.
Wang Hao cannot do that same thing to Zhang Jike because that is what Zhang Jike is best at. He is crazy good at backhand and short game. There is no shakehand player who has ever been as good at short game as he is. Wang Hao can cause problems for him though because penholders have an advantage in the short game. Soooo much wrist action.
I really was hoping Ma Long would win this year. And I really did not realize why he could not win till watching those matches this morning. I am really sad for Ma Long. He is so fun to watch and such a beautiful player. But, he really is missing two important technical aspects of the game that have kept him from winning on this biggest stage.
Wang Liqin won with a game that is very much like Ma Long's. I don't think that game with the giant forehand and a backhand and short game that are acceptable but not exceptional can win today.