20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, 9/19-10/4

[Jafar]

WS QF
KKY 0-4 Harimoto (-7, -10, -8, -7)
G2 95, 98, 108, 1012

WMY 4-0 SYB (9, 6, 6, 5)
Weakest QFlist. No surprise she was not on the Great Wall of Opponents for Paris 2024.

(...)

Could you kindly share some knowledge about the "Great Wall of Opponents"? Hard to find any info in the English internet.

Can't wait to watch the Tomo vs Noshad game. If Noshad's serves were on point with no TTR available, I imagine they must have been a great problem for Tomo. Even WCQ had issues with them.

 

[M51]

Noshad's #344 WR is nearly as meaningful as FZD's non-existent WR at this point.

Mental gymnastics required to make this analogy is staggering.

 

[NextLevel]

NA was 3:1 9:4 up, HT came back! Then at 3:3 9:9 NA made 2 points and won 11:9.

Couldn't stay up late enough to watch live, definitely explains how Noshad felt about game 7. He had probably accepted his defeat and played extremely relaxed.

As for Harimoto, his backhand is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness, I saw him seduced to rally backhsnd to backhand with Noshad on many points, he will learn his lesson thr hard way that the forehand pivot is not an outdated shot.

 

[NextLevel]

Mental gymnastics required to make this analogy is staggering.

Not at all, the analogy is 100% correct. Please don't go the dark path of those who call Dima washed because he isn't in the top 10 and winning events consistently anymore. We all know on any given day, he is capable of miracles. Same with Noshad.

 

[latej]

Can't wait to watch the Tomo vs Noshad game. If Noshad's serves were on point with no TTR available, I imagine they must have been a great problem for Tomo. Even WCQ had issues with them.

You can watch it at the links NextLevel provided above... Also WCQ vs FENG Yi-hsin.

Anybody knows where to watch the other 2 QFs? LSD vs SM and LYJ vs Chan Baldwin?

 

[NextLevel]

You can watch it at the links NextLevel provided above... Also WCQ vs FENG Yi-hsin.

Anybody knows where to watch the other 2 QFs? LSD vs SM and LYJ vs Chan Baldwin?

Unless one can find streaming for tables 3 and 4, your best hope is likely Chinese or Japanese or Hong Kong or Taiwanese television. That said, Asia games is part of Olympic games umbrella and they are *merciless* about protecting their copyright so even if a link pops up on YTube, it will be gone within 24 hours.

 

[BlueInGreen]

Mental gymnastics required to make this analogy is staggering.

Had I tried to compare their level and conclude that Noshad is anywhere near FZD from their rankings (or lacktherof), sure. That would've been ridiculous and staggering of me. Except that I didn't do so. I merely pointed out the fact that a player's ranking is quite meaningless if they're not actively participating in WTT tournaments all year long in a system where tournament points expire after a year.

 

[NextLevel]

Had I tried to compare their level and conclude that Noshad is anywhere near FZD from their rankings (or lacktherof), sure. That would've been ridiculous and staggering of me. Except that I didn't do so. I merely pointed out the fact that a player's ranking is quite meaningless if they're not actively participating in WTT tournaments all year long in a system where tournament points expire after a year.

Playing league in France is likewise meaningless unfortunately as some have deemed WTT the only truly acceptable measure of a player's form until it clearly isn't. Though i suspect it is largely a result of a difference in attitude and possibly financial remuneration between Asia and Europe to league play.

 

[pingpongnerd]

Illegal serves are hard to overcome, even for the best of players...

Both the chinese and iranian won with their dirty hidden serves.

 

[pingpongnerd]

LSD had a great day, won all of his matches with the toughest matches being against Sora and WCQ/SYS

That is because there is no Video Replay Review and he was able to use his dirty hook serves.

 

[NextLevel]

LYJ was so close to taking down WCQ in teams. I'd love to see him win gold in singles.

Nah, we already had our glitch in the Matrix and if we get it we get one per event. The rest will go according to the script. I think the bigger problem for LYJ is the head to head vs his SF opponent. But of course miracles can happen. Just pointing out that you likely need not one but 2.

So disappointed that Tomo crashed out before his rematch. That said. Noshad reminds us why the people who focus almostt exclusively on CNT head to head are missing important information.

 

[NextLevel]

That is because there is no Video Replay Review and he was able to use his dirty hook serves.

None of us have seen the matches, this is pure speculation.

 

[NextLevel]

A happy cheater

While there were some dubious serves for sure, Harimoto was often dominated in the rally. I suspect WCQ will have no problem using his forehand to take out NA though to be fair, he had been a victim of Noshad. In fact , Harimoto tends to play Noshad well even with struggle (beat him in 2024 Olympics) so I was a bit surprised.

 

[pingpongnerd]

None of us have seen the matches, this is pure speculation.

He did use it a lot in his match against Togami

 

[banbekas]

If only Wang Hao had shown faith in LSD by putting him as 2nd instead of 3rd the team result may have been different.

I was not expecting a 4-2 win against Sora.

Japan should have had TTR for this event and the match result could have been different between Tomo vs Noshad.

Both Japan Mens singles are out in QF. China will be very happy with that.

Why?

Wang Hao and anyone with working brain cells will always put the safest option in LSD than the risky gamble in WRB against Togami. Harimoto vs WRB, based on head to head, is 50/50 and it's still better than relying on LSD whose winrate is abysmal against Harimoto.

Would the result have been different? Yes. 3-1 for JNT.

 

[zeio]

MD QF
Quek Yong/Pang Yew En 0-3 Harimoto/Shinozuka (-9, -10, -9)
Barely edged out. Not enough to feel overly optimistic for the world stage. Rather, they should feel lucky MT is replaced by XT at LA28.

MS QF
Alamiyan 4-3 Harimoto (9, 7, -3, 6, -14, -6, 9)
G1 107, 107, 119
G2 20, 23, 73, 74, 94, 96 TO for Alamiyan, 97, 117 net for Alamiyan
G3 07, 17, 19, 29, 210 Alamiyan faulted, 310, 311
G4 02, 12, 13, 53 endline edge for Alamiyan and TO for Harimoto, 54, 104, 106, 116
Locker room tactic for JPN? That's gross!
G5 32, 62, 63, 83 net for Alamiyan, 84, 94, 98, 108, 1011, 1111, 1112, 1312, 1313 Alamiyan faulted and protest from IRI, 1413, 1416 two nets for Harimoto
G6 21, 31, 42, 43, 55, 510, 610, 611
G7 31, 32, 52, 53, 63, 65, 85, 86, 96, 99, 119
Alamiyan had a small talk with the ump.
Could Harimoto have gotten past WCT if he advanced instead?

LSD 4-2 Matsushima (-7, 3, 7, -11, 7, 6)
G2 102, 103, 113
G3 30, 32, 42, 43, 53, 54, 64, 66, 96, 107, 117
G4 30, 31, 42, 44, 54, 75, 85, 86, 96, 98 TO for LSD?, 109, 1010, 1110, 1113
G5 02, 52, 55, 65, 66, 76, 77, 87, 117
G6 01, 11, 12, 22, 23, 53 TO for JPN?, 54, 74, 75, 95, 96, 116

"A very good shot at winning gold" indeed.

Table tennis schedule
Hangzhou 2022 - 11 days
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 - 9 days
損人不利己, 丟那星.

Yet again, such a waste of my time and brain cells explaining to those members so deeply "infected" by fanboyism.

Another cringeworthy comment, which has crept up in recent years.

You're gravely underestimating the other teams from around the world, namely FRA, and to a lesser extent TPE, SWE and GER. You're also overly optimistic about the consistency of JPN. Care to look up the teams they lost to and the matches they dropped before the final at WTTC 2026, something that even Harimoto had admitted? Let me help you - GER (QD and Duda in Grp and then Franziska in KO) and FRA (Coton, F. Lebrun and A. Lebrun in Grp), BEL (Nuytinck), and KAZ (Gerrassimenko).

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Matsushima and Togami this time here either, with both barely edging out Gerrassimenko and OJS in the 5th game, respectively. While it's true there could be occasions where their men would carry their women, the record in XTWC suggests that their women would save the ass of their men more than the other way around.

Last but not least, it should be pointed out the "accommodation crisis", all in the name of sustainability and cost cutting, has played a part in this result. Players and coaches are forced to either travel hours on end between Costa Serena (your problem if you get seasickness) and the venue, or find a hotel close by to stay and secure their own means of transportation at their own risk and expense. This is the second time after Tokyo 2020 (here and here) that JPN as the host has resorted to underhand and questionable practice while acting innocent. In any case, this is a tainted win.

Another case of arguing with the player here.

You need to read Harimoto's comment after the MT final on not having run into FRA, SWE, GER and TPE in the KO stage of WTTC 2026. Their odds of reaching the final would have been lower. If even the player admits that to the press, then why would a fan feel so optimistic?

Harimoto made a big claim that HKG would've been easy meat had they reached the MT F of ATTC 2025 and then proceeded to lose 1-3 against WCT at Asian Cup 2026.

世界卓球2026ロンドン　
大会最終日（5月10日）　男子団体準優勝　日本チームのコメント
https://www.butterfly.co.jp/takurepo/tournament/detail/028238.html

--There’s been talk about the Japanese team being young; while the score was 0–3 today, I feel the gap between Japan and China isn't as wide as it used to be. On the other hand, France has a trio of even younger players. It gives the impression that the global men's scene is a highly competitive landscape with many contenders—what is your take on that?
That’s true. Among the French trio, Alexis Lebrun is the same age as me, followed by Coton and Félix Lebrun. Matsushima is a year younger, but the fact remains that, on average, they are a young team. Before the tournament started, we talked about Japan, France, and China being the key players here, and I think that dynamic won't change for the next decade or so. Germany’s squad is older, so in that sense, I think Chinese Taipei has more future potential.

We didn't face France or Sweden this time around. At the same time, I don't think we can guarantee a win against Germany or Chinese Taipei if we played them again. So, while closing the final gap to China is important, I believe it’s equally crucial for the men's team to consistently beat the other squads. If we just dwell on "coming so close" and settling for silver, only to lose to other players in the next international tournament, we’ll lose our sense of direction. Winning the silver medal certainly has its merits, but when looking at each match individually, we have to analyze exactly who beat whom; otherwise, the significance of the team victory becomes blurred. I think the most important thing is for each player to gain experience and carry that forward into future international competitions.

VIE-CHN & CHN-SGP | Table Tennis - Team Quarterfinals | 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022
https://asiangamestv.com/videos/178...-quarterfinals-19th-asian-games-hangzhou-2022
@2:09:47

JPN-TPE & IRI-JPN | Table Tennis - Team Quarterfinals | 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022
https://asiangamestv.com/videos/178...-quarterfinals-19th-asian-games-hangzhou-2022
@2:56:34

@3:49:01

@4:46:11

 

[FIXPOINT]

Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 WS QF

Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 MS QF

 

[FIXPOINT]

Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 WD QF

Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 MD QF

Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 XD Final

 

[zeio]

Could you kindly share some knowledge about the "Great Wall of Opponents"? Hard to find any info in the English internet.

Can't wait to watch the Tomo vs Noshad game. If Noshad's serves were on point with no TTR available, I imagine they must have been a great problem for Tomo. Even WCQ had issues with them.

By tradition, CNT would put up images of the players to watch for during every month-long closed training for the 2 majors - Olympics and WTTC.

Check out the video
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...inals-london-2026-4-28-5-10.37691/post-573290

P.S.
Korbel mentioned it in the documentary on defeating China at WTTC 1991 and his signature shot chiquita
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/peter-korbel-chiquita-story.14666/post-176648

 

[NextLevel]

Why?

Wang Hao and anyone with working brain cells will always put the safest option in LSD than the risky gamble in WRB against Togami. Harimoto vs WRB, based on head to head, is 50/50 and it's still better than relying on LSD whose winrate is abysmal against Harimoto.

Would the result have been different? Yes. 3-1 for JNT.

You don't think Wen could have beaten Togami? Interesting.