It's partly true , but sometimes one player is just better then the other.
You make it sound that if you train for a certain player and adjust tactics that you are always going to win.
I don't agree with that.
Mima Ito will change her tactics too and will train too.
So it's an ever adjusting game between players.
You can see this in the Tennis world, Nadal, Federer, Djokovic dominate there for years and most of the time the form of the day makes the difference.
Otherwise Federer would have just made some tactical adjustments and then he would win every time against Djokovic?
You are right on the performing under pressure part, but as it stands now.
If I had to bet all my money between Ding Ning or Cheng Meng winning from Mima Ito, I would bet on Cheng Meng. She has proven she has the playstyle advantage against Mima and she has proven she can perform under pressure.
I don't disagree, I personally, believe DN would be a bad pick. Not because she can't beat Ito, but because she bears a greater risk of losing than other potential picks. But we are talking about how the CNT has, and probably will pick, not our personal preference.
But, keep in mind, they are not just picking for ability to handle pressure out of just anyone. They are starting from a list of candidates that already are all championship level anyway, proven by their... having won championships. That's what i meant by 'within reason'.
From that platform, the CNT thinks they can push any of these over the line with preparation. Is there risk that they don't? Sure. Ito is something of a special threat. But CNT has always treated the risk of breakdown under pressure as a greater threat than than the risk of being straight up outplayed.
While you think Chen Meng has proven she can perform under pressure, and frankly I think she's not that bad under pressure either. The CNT seems to disagree.
The problem is, the CNT has always viewed the entire world tour as a bit of a sideshow. They view the 'big tournaments' as Olympics and World Championships firstly, then continental championsips/world cups/ continental cups after that.
World tour performance is of so little importance in CNT reckoning, that if you are winning platinum tours and World tour grand finals, that's nice and cute, but it only shows your form, not your ability to handle pressure, because they consider the events to be of too little importance to constitute genuine pressure.