2024 US Open, Las Vegas Dec 16-21

[TensorBackhand]

That was never going to be a match. Still haven't seen a match of Tonin anywhere....

Not really. I felt like Kou Lei really didn't receive well at all, and Hagberg had so many shots available to him. But Hagberg seemed badly off and missed almost all his chances.

 

[NextLevel]

Not really. I felt like Kou Lei really didn't receive well at all, and Hagberg had so many shots available to him. But Hagberg seemed badly off and missed almost all his chances.

Hagberg is at best 2600, and i think he had injuries as well in recent years. He isnt even good enough to be in the current MLTT. You can have your opinion, but this was never going to be a match with the result in doubt.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Hagberg is at best 2600, and i think he had injuries as well in recent years. He isnt even good enough to be in the current MLTT. You can have your opinion, but this was never going to be a match with the result in doubt.

wow, I appreciate that you accept that people can have a different opinion and still be reasonable. That might be the very first time I have ever heard that on this forum.

Yes, I agree that Kou Lei is levels above Hagberg, and 9 times out of 10 would win.
My simple observation is that on this single match, Kou Lei put out a lot of balls for Hagberg to kill, and Hagberg missed almost all of them. If he hit those shots which he is clearly capable of, the match MIGHT have been competitive.

 

[NextLevel]

wow, I appreciate that you accept that people can have a different opinion and still be reasonable. That might be the very first time I have ever heard that on this forum.

Yes, I agree that Kou Lei is levels above Hagberg, and 9 times out of 10 would win.
My simple observation is that on this single match, Kou Lei put out a lot of balls for Hagberg to kill, and Hagberg missed almost all of them. If he hit those shots which he is clearly capable of, the match MIGHT have been competitive.

Many matches look like that between players of different levels. Rarely affects the outcome. Can affect a game usually.

 

[zeio]

My simple observation is that on this single match, Kou Lei put out a lot of balls for Hagberg to kill, and Hagberg missed almost all of them. If he hit those shots which he is clearly capable of, the match MIGHT have been competitive.

When asked to compare their strengths with that of their opponents, CNT players always answer that the gap is 1 point (interpret that as a euphemism for being always 1 step ahead), when the actual score is more often than not 3-0 or 4-0. Therefore, what seems close could, in actuality, be far away.

 

[joshmak10]

Is Nina Mittelham still in?

 

[zeio]

Ando lost to Sasao in the same way as Ito does nowadays.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Heartbreaker for Ando being up 3-0 and could not convert on 2 match points. One thing about Asuka is that she's a fighter. Whatever she lacks in skills she makes up for in toughness. To her credit this year, she's held down the fort for the Nissay Red Elves with Hayata out of commission. She has an 11-2 record including 2 wins (both 3-2) over Kihara. She's got a tough task ahead of her playing the finals of both WD and WS. She and Reina Aso are doubles partners in T-League so I expect them to take that title over Ando/Omoda. Singles is going to be tough because it'll be her 3rd match of the day, and she's going against a former CNT player who may still be playing in Chinese league (?). Best of luck to Asuka Sasao.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Does Majin Buu realistically stand a chance against Kanak?

 

[CallMeZaddy]

Wow jha is just on another level. Completely destroyed ma jinbao

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Congrats to the 2024 US Open Table Tennis Champions:

Kanak Jha, Men's Singles
Guo Yan, Women's Singles
Seiya Numamura / Tonin Ryuzaki, Men's Doubles
Asuka Sasao / Reina Aso, Women's Doubles
Koyo Kanamitsu / Minami Ando, Mixed Doubles

 

[turbozed]

Man Jha really wrecked the field in that tournament. That wasn't even close to competitive as a finals. Jha is head and shoulders the best US men's player and looks like he'll keep that title for quite a long time.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Man Jha really wrecked the field in that tournament. That wasn't even close to competitive as a finals. Jha is head and shoulders the best US men's player and looks like he'll keep that title for quite a long time.

What makes him so effective? His style looks strange to me, and seems rather basic. But you can't deny his incredible effectiveness.

 

[NextLevel]

What makes him so effective? His style looks strange to me, and seems rather basic. But you can't deny his incredible effectiveness.

His control of the first attack. It's at a level where if your rally game is not elite, you need to be equally good at playing for the first attack to have a chance.

 

[turbozed]

What makes him so effective? His style looks strange to me, and seems rather basic. But you can't deny his incredible effectiveness.

I'm probably not the one to ask. But if I had to guess, I'd say that he's extremely good at constructing a point. The commentators that have been following him through his career say that he always plays within himself and isn't looking to overpower you in the first couple of shots.

So a good example is how often he was able to hit finishers down the line after setting it up by moving Ma further and further to the BH. This isn't something that only pros do obviously, but he's doing it so much better because his shots are so high quality that it's getting his opponents to give him expected responses.

To me, he's more interesting to watch than a super fast Togami like Japanese player just flying around the table hitting big shots and using athleticism to win points. That's not to say that he Jha isn't athletic. He's super fast and has good reactions too. He just is able to employ all of it towards a tactical and controlled game.

 

[Wrighty67]

What makes him so effective? His style looks strange to me, and seems rather basic. But you can't deny his incredible effectiveness.

That’s a crazy comment - he’s got so many weapons, strategically very astute and super mobile. To me he looks world class in every way.

 

[NextLevel]

That’s a crazy comment - he’s got so many weapons, strategically very astute and super mobile. To me he looks world class in every way.

Not really if he was taller, he would arguably be a worse Calderano. The serves and strokes look repetitive.

 

[Wrighty67]

Not really if he was taller, he would arguably be a worse Calderano. The serves and strokes look repetitive.

No, he’s in no way repetitious in his play - I’d take odds he’d give Hugo a decent run right now (he came close to beating Dima recently)

 

[zeio]

What makes him so effective? His style looks strange to me, and seems rather basic. But you can't deny his incredible effectiveness.

Because he contains curry.

CNT: Curry is a major threat to medal sweep security.

中美两队合练“乒乓外交”续写友好篇章 (Chinese and American teams practice "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" together to continue writing another chapter of friendship)
https://www.sport.gov.cn/n20001280/n20745751/n20767274/c21841915/content.html

马龙则借助这样的机会帮助卡纳克·杰哈进行了发球抢攻等实战性的练习，马龙说：“他在去年世界杯团体赛时赢了黄镇廷，在男子世界杯比赛中跟林高远打得也很激烈。通过这次合练，我发现美国队队员的实力比我想象中要强。”

Ma Long took this opportunity to help Kanak Jha practice serve-and-attack. "He beat Wong Chun Ting at the Team World Cup last year [2018] and also had an intense match with Lin Gaoyuan at the Men's World Cup [2018]. Through this joint training, I found that the strength of the American team members is stronger than I thought."

 

[NextLevel]

No, he’s in no way repetitious in his play - I’d take odds he’d give Hugo a decent run right now (he came close to beating Dima recently)

He lost 0-3 to Dima in the match I remember. Where is the video of the close loss?