Australian Open 2019 [Platinum]

[NextLevel]

Yes they're playing doubles, is that supposed to prove me wrong? They play doubles because they must, until they can't (Liu Shiwen). Are they supposed to just abandon doubles to not get injured?

Liu Shiwen had a back injury. That said there are players playing doubles with no requirement to do so. Xu Xin despite saying that he can't recover like he did when he was younger is getting consistently registered in 3 events. My point is that while ITTF can do better, the players have to do things to show that this is not kosher as well. Playing all three events just makes it look like TT is a joke.

 

[zeio]

"Franziska is a second rate German player!"

Reminds me of XX's comment on Franziska from 2014.

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/i-want-to-beat-the-best-player-in-the-big-one_topic68427.html

Despite the fact that Boll and Ovtcharov are the top targets of the CNT, from XX's perspective, it was in the third match facing off Franziska whose game was the trickiest. "I ran into him in the Open earlier the year, winning 4:2. Very few people outside of China can take two games off of me." XX knew at that time that this player was not easy to handle, but never thought he would come across him in his own first final at the WTTTC. "This reminds me of last year playing against Samsonov in the World Cup final. For the first two receives, one hit on my fingers, and for the other I whiffed the loop. Those two shots didn't even touch the paddle. The match against Franziska at the WTTTC was more or less the same. I didn't serve the first one well and it drifted long. It turned out the dude on the other side was nervous as well and sent it flying. For the second serve I even sent it into the bottom of the net. I was so tense. My hand was not listening to me." In the final, both sides were nervous, and the key at that moment was to see who could first immerse in the match. "When under immense pressure, it felt like the upper body was constantly pushing down on the lower body, as if I couldn't run, and got heavy legs, and hand that didn't listen, and losing very promptly without even my realizing. Yet, this time midway through the first game, I was running the whole field and the body didn't feel that heavy. I was totally in the zone, both technically and tactically."

 

[yogi_bear]

Franziska was really playing good. I thought XX was gonna lose!!!

 

[Shine]

Liu Shiwen had a back injury. That said there are players playing doubles with no requirement to do so. Xu Xin despite saying that he can't recover like he did when he was younger is getting consistently registered in 3 events. My point is that while ITTF can do better, the players have to do things to show that this is not kosher as well. Playing all three events just makes it look like TT is a joke.

I think the reason they're playing three categories is an eye on the team events of the Olympics as well, Fan/Xu will probably be the go-to pair but ML is playing doubles too because who knows he might be the one that has to pair with XX in the end like in the Team World Cup

 

[Michal_Z]

I think this is the first XX expected. Patrick was very nervous in last set, so when you are in trouble and have a matchpoint, you Will probably serve long and hope your opponent Will miss it.
Anyway XX is very fast and I do not think he could have trouble with long serve.

Yet he came into the table to play banana, which he then changed to something else..

 

[NoFootwork]

And yet they play men's doubles. Give me a break.

I've written before on this forum that ML in particular should not be playing any doubles. I thought it was insane for him to play doubles in WTTC after coming back from injury. He won that with WCQ. Now there are mentions of little injuries that he is fighting off and yet he continues in doubles. Protect the body for the Olympics.

With the plastic/now abs ball the game has gotten a lot more taxing physically. ITTF is compounding this by holding so many back to back to back events which everyone needs to play for their ranking points. And with only the top 16 being seeded, more (intense) matches have to be played to get thru qualifying rounds as well as facing strong players from round 1 onwards for the seeded players. This is a recipe for more injuries and shortened careers for everyone. ITTF really needs to reconsider some of this to protect players. Isn't the player's association discussing this with ITTF?

 

[NoFootwork]

SYS is playing on a magical level right now. The Terminator is demanding an Olympic spot by virtue of her destroying the competition. Awesome to watch!

Yes awesome crazy skills. However, not a fan of hers at all after her blatant cheating in WTTC doubles, falsely claiming net on a serve return she missed at a critical point in that match.

 

[Vlad Celler]

..... However, not a fan of hers at all after her blatant cheating in WTTC doubles, falsely claiming net on a serve return she missed at a critical point in that match...

I remember that too ......The unpleasant story was ....

 

[yoass]

However, not a fan of hers at all after her blatant cheating in WTTC doubles, falsely claiming net …

Yes, this is the only thing prominent in my mind whenever she plays. Clad in shame.

 

[usualsuspect]

Franziska is playing so beautifully !

Yes, he did. He also executed his game plan resolutely - short service to the middle, then long push to XX's BH corner.
For a few sets, this tactic worked. But XX adjusted to it in the last few sets. XX expecting the long push and also started receiving Franziska's services short to the FH side. This caused Franziska a lot of troubles and he was not able to find a solution during the last set.
This is why I love watching good tt matches. It's always about which player adjusts faster to his/her opponent's tactics and finding solutions to overcome these difficulties.

 

[usualsuspect]

In any case, despite the opposition of the huge Chinese coaching machine, Mima Ito continues to strain the Chinese coaches ....Features of her playing style Chinese coaches literally laid out into atoms ....
And yet .... Today, Ding Ning, in my opinion, maybe I am mistaken, barely gone from defeat ...

In my opinion Ito has to mature more mentally. She should totally have won the match against DN. Ito was faster, had higher quality attacks, and played closer to the table. She had way more advantages in the match then DN, whose age is definitely showing now. Somehow, Ito's still let DN catch up and eventually losing the match.

I really expected to see Ito play Sun Yingsha in the final. I didn't think Ito could beat SYS yet, but I know she could DN.

 

[usualsuspect]

Has WCQ no respect for Brother Long? Good for the kid, and good for ML as well, he has to keep developing.

I was really excited for the final of WCQ vs. XX. 2 lefties duking it out.
I really wish WCQ could've played better in the final, but it looked like his chest muscle injury really affected him.
He's FH attacks and counters were much weaker than in the previous matches. I saw his frustration and his will to fight, but his body just wasn't up to the task. I hope he recovers quickly.

 

[pingpongpaddy]

“Originally Posted by Yoass

Originally Posted by NoFootwork
However, not a fan of hers at all after her blatant cheating in WTTC doubles, falsely claiming net …



Yes, this is the only thing prominent in my mind whenever she plays. Clad in shame.”

Actually the umpire called net serve. SYS just repeated that to opponents. Players don’t have video replay in their heads. So it seems to me SYS try’s the return misses. When umpire calls net, maybe says to herself “that’s why I missed”
When we look at the replay, its certainly not an obvious net, but the video replay is not conclusive. If it was a bad net call its sad for Japan, but no cheating involved as far as I can see.

 

[Ioiettino]

Either way, I feel it's tough giving her the stick for it for all eternity. I too wish it hadn't happened, but all proportions kept I am not sure it is enough to judge her character.

 

[yoass]

Either way, I feel it's tough giving her the stick for it for all eternity. I too wish it hadn't happened, but all proportions kept I am not sure it is enough to judge her character.

I’ve viewed, reviewed and reviewed the footage, and counted to three before speaking my piece.

And still consider it a lewd steal.

Eternity’s a long time, but redemption is there for the taking. All that is required is a selfless display of true sportspersonship. For example, by refusing erroneously awarded points and to award opponent unjustly withheld ones, many times over, and generously so, to name one thing.

 

[pingpongpaddy]

I’ve viewed, reviewed and reviewed the footage, and counted to three before speaking my piece.

And still consider it a lewd steal.

Eternity’s a long time, but redemption is there for the taking. All that is required is a selfless display of true sportspersonship. For example, by refusing erroneously awarded points and to award opponent unjustly withheld ones, many times over, and generously so, to name one thing.

I can see that you are sure its not a net. But what the video does not provide is evidence of what’s in the players heads and indeed if its the umpire that calls the net the decision is out of the players hands, because if you are playing for your country there is no way that you take it on yourself to second guess the umpire and maybe lose the match for your team.
The other day I played a match where the opponent got an edge which I failed to return though I hit the ball. There was some discussion and eventually we worked out that it was good. But I was not able to say myself though I saw the ball clearly when I hit it. I was entirely focused on just trying to hit it. In the same way If I had been in SYS’s shoes I would have been focused on trying to return the serve (no easy task) and not on doing the umpires job.For that reason I can understand SYS’S point of view

 

[NoFootwork]

I can see that you are sure its not a net. But what the video does not provide is evidence of what’s in the players heads and indeed if its the umpire that calls the net the decision is out of the players hands, because if you are playing for your country there is no way that you take it on yourself to second guess the umpire and maybe lose the match for your team.
The other day I played a match where the opponent got an edge which I failed to return though I hit the ball. There was some discussion and eventually we worked out that it was good. But I was not able to say myself though I saw the ball clearly when I hit it. I was entirely focused on just trying to hit it. In the same way If I had been in SYS’s shoes I would have been focused on trying to return the serve (no easy task) and not on doing the umpires job.For that reason I can understand SYS’S point of view

And yet we see over and over where players have given a point to their opponent if an umpire has missed a call. I have seen players walk to the scorer's table and adjust the score. I have seen a player deliberately miss the next shot to give the next point to the opponent if the umpire refuses to change their call.

Yet SYS did none of this pretending it was a net (as did WMY.) The video does provide what is the player's head and its not good sportsmanship.

 

[laistrogian]

And yet we see over and over where players have given a point to their opponent if an umpire has missed a call. I have seen players walk to the scorer's table and adjust the score. I have seen a player deliberately miss the next shot to give the next point to the opponent if the umpire refuses to change their call.

Yet SYS did none of this pretending it was a net (as did WMY.) The video does provide what is the player's head and its not good sportsmanship.

I don't get how we live in an era where ITTF is bothered to check the spin rotation of a winner but can't afford to put some sort of sensor on the net to check for vibration if it was a let serve or to put camera system on the sidelines to check where the ball hit.

You can never rely on the umpire, there are so incompetence ITTF umpire who I don't even know how they managed to be an official umpire for a world tour.

I was sitting down watching in the spectator area when I can hear the ball hit the edge of the table and yet the umpires are completely confused who should be rewarded the point. If they are too tired, it's simply ITTF and their failure to consider this factor.

 

[zeio]

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

I don't get how we live in an era where ITTF is bothered to check the spin rotation of a winner but can't afford to put some sort of sensor on the net to check for vibration if it was a let serve or to put camera system on the sidelines to check where the ball hit.

You can never rely on the umpire, there are so incompetence ITTF umpire who I don't even know how they managed to be an official umpire for a world tour.

I was sitting down watching in the spectator area when I can hear the ball hit the edge of the table and yet the umpires are completely confused who should be rewarded the point. If they are too tired, it's simply ITTF and their failure to consider this factor.

I remember when this incident occurred, I was pretty mad at SYS like many were. But looking back I think most of the blame has to go to the umpire. I've watched the point over and over both in real time and in slow motion and I think the umpire's mind must have been playing tricks on her. Now calling the umpire incompetent is a bit harsh so I'm not going to do that. But on such a crucial point, I don't know what's going through her mind to make that call. As for SYS, I have to acknowledge the immense pressure she was under. She's 18 years old and playing for China at the World Championship. And she would not be doing it just for herself but has to consider her partner. Even though I thought she should have given the point to Japan, I think it's time to forgive ... And I'm a huge fan of Mima Ito and Hina Hayata.