China Smash 2026, Beijing, 10/1-11

[Metaxa]

Sometimes I wonder - why doesn't Truls use short pips on BH? Seems like they would fit his backhand very well. Obviously he's one of the best pros in the world and knows what's best for him. I'm just curious about the logic here.

If he doe that, they have to start with a separate competition, only for pip-players! 😬

 

[J-fed]

If he doe that, they have to start with a separate competition, only for pip-players! 😬

Barry Hearn agrees.

 

[NetProphet]

Sora Matsushima will be a grand slam champion, first one since Ma Long. Calling it now.

Unless WCQ isn't done yet.

But I think he is.

Big call.
Give that he's won none of them and the competition is ferocious.
I'll be surprised if he manages it tbh, I still think his temperament will catch him out.
But if he works on that, and the few other aspects of his game then I guess the Sky is the limit.
Insane talent

 

[piligrim]

Viscaria SALC should be renamed to LYJ SALC

 

[NextLevel]

Big call.
Give that he's won none of them and the competition is ferocious.
I'll be surprised if he manages it tbh, I still think his temperament will catch him out.
But if he works on that, and the few other aspects of his game then I guess the Sky is the limit.
Insane talent

Fan Zhendong was one (Grand Slam Champion) unless i am missing something. But maybe @M51 can explain what i missed.

 

[NextLevel]

Viscaria SALC should be renamed to LYJ SALC

Thry just need a version with his handle if he wants it. The Viscaria SALC is a fine blade and doesn't need LYJ's branding just as the original Viscaria needs no one's branding.

 

[NextLevel]

Lsd is not a top 10 player with TTR.
He would never have won Asian Games Singles title if there were hawk eyes.
Lsd 's 18 months title drought coincided with the emergence of TTR. Just shows you how serving legally downgraded his level of play.
I would put Qiu Dang, Alexis, Jang Woojin above him

I don't entirely agree but i find enough merit in your position not to argue seriously. Let's see what the future holds.

 

[Dr Evil]

Just watched Sora vs LYJ. It was like watching a gun fight, bullets flying back and forth. I think Zyre 03 is transforming the game.

 

[piligrim]

Thry just need a version with his handle if he wants it. The Viscaria SALC is a fine blade and doesn't need LYJ's branding just as the original Viscaria needs no one's branding.

I mean doesn't make sence to make new blade for him. Enough to rename this one

 

[backspacer]

Ups, posted in the wrong thread, but I caught up. Disappointing to see Sato lose in straight games, but WMY went all out against her.

Being a LYJ fan is painful. Such a good player not winning more titles unfortunately. I do worry about his hand though. I thought he had just tape on his wrist, but it's even covering some fingers.

 

[MatsushimaAlc]

Rise of the left handers. I wonder if the margins at top level are starting to become so small that the advantage of being left handed is what's pushing these guys over the edge. Half the top6 being left handed while they're only 10% of the general population certainly says something

 

[NextLevel]

I mean doesn't make sence to make new blade for him. Enough to rename this one

TLDR: Yes, it makes sense to get a new blade for LYJ if they want to do it, just as it made sense for TB, ZJK and FZD to get new blades if they wanted them. You seem to know little about the Viscaria brand and how it survives player specialization and not realize how the composition has been given a different handle for many players already.

The original Viscaria predates and survives the Timo Boll Spirit, Timo Boll ALC, Fan Zhendong ALC, Lin Gaoyuan ALC, Zhang Jike ALC, Kenta Matsudaira ALC and many others I have neither the time nor the patience to name. There will be new players getting new rebranded Viscarias named after them and some blades retired after sponsorship deals are over. Even the LYJ SZLC had the same composition as the ZJK SZLC and the FZD SZLC but with different handles/balance.

The Viscaria SALC will do the same. It is already and extremely popular and great blade. By all means, Butterfly can rebrand a version for LYJ if he wants it. But as you can see from the above, the Viscaria did not die when it got rebranded to the names of many legends, including a World Champion. So there is *no* need to kill the Viscaria SALC just to give LYJ a blade. Your pushing this makes me wonder whether you know how old the Viscaria brand is and whether you are just so unfamiliar with it that you think it makes sense to kill Viscaria in SALC for a player, when the player is not even bigger than FZD who has his own SALC which the Viscaria SALC exists besides. So yes, it makes sense to get a new blade for LYJ if they want to do it, just as it made sense for TB, ZJK and FZD to get new blades if they wanted them.

 

[piligrim]

TLDR: Yes, it makes sense to get a new blade for LYJ if they want to do it, just as it made sense for TB, ZJK and FZD to get new blades if they wanted them. You seem to know little about the Viscaria brand and how it survives player specialization and not realize how the composition has been given a different handle for many players already.

The original Viscaria predates and survives the Timo Boll Spirit, Timo Boll ALC, Fan Zhendong ALC, Lin Gaoyuan ALC, Zhang Jike ALC, Kenta Matsudaira ALC and many others I have neither the time nor the patience to name. There will be new players getting new rebranded Viscarias named after them and some blades retired after sponsorship deals are over. Even the LYJ SZLC had the same composition as the ZJK SZLC and the FZD SZLC but with different handles/balance.

The Viscaria SALC will do the same. It is already and extremely popular and great blade. By all means, Butterfly can rebrand a version for LYJ if he wants it. But as you can see from the above, the Viscaria did not die when it got rebranded to the names of many legends, including a World Champion. So there is *no* need to kill the Viscaria SALC just to give LYJ a blade. Your pushing this makes me wonder whether you know how old the Viscaria brand is and whether you are just so unfamiliar with it that you think it makes sense to kill Viscaria in SALC for a player, when the player is not even bigger than FZD who has his own SALC which the Viscaria SALC exists besides. So yes, it makes sense to get a new blade for LYJ if they want to do it, just as it made sense for TB, ZJK and FZD to get new blades if they wanted them.

Despite I put smile you still didn't realize I was joking

 

[NetProphet]

Lsd is not a top 10 player with TTR.
He would never have won Asian Games Singles title if there were hawk eyes.
Lsd 's 18 months title drought coincided with the emergence of TTR. Just shows you how serving legally downgraded his level of play.
I would put Qiu Dang, Alexis, Jang Woojin above him

You really believe that LSDs run to WR#1 was because he could serve illegally? 😳
Are you serious?
Despite how he is playing now, you cannot take away from him the results and the streak he had at end of 2024 and into 2025. He was beating players fair and square.
I'd agree that several players were underperforming (Harimoto etc) or just on the way up (Felix) and his reaching no 1 in the rankings was unexpected but he was just a kid then, 18-19, was completely fearless and playing out of his skin.
His title drought coincides with Sora, Truls, Hugo, Felix, LYJ, WCQ etc getting their shit together and he has been figured out somewhat while his mentality, belief and form have certainly taken a hit but illegal serves has nothing to do with it.

 

[NetProphet]

There's more to backhand than power looping, which is definitely not Truls' game. He's great at punch blocking, chop blocking, extreme spin variation on drives, placement, and deceptiveness. I'd guess there are players who fear and despise his backhand, not because it blows them away, but because it completely disrupts their rhythm. It's an elite set-up shot, and and the punch blocks are great finishers.

I think you're referring more to tactical implementation here rather than outright having a great BH.
As in, does Truls have great intelligence in how he uses his BH?
Yes.
But does Truls have a great BH? Think of FZD, LSD, FLB, and back to ZJ, WH and Kreanga.
But look, even Ma Long didn't have a great BH so it's not a stick to beat Truls with. MLs was good enough to allow him to manipulate the rally the way he wanted it more often than not and in the long run, 51% success there is good enough when you can rely on a near perfect FH and other weapons, not least of which is an amazing TT intellect and superb serving.

TLDR; When TT is over for Truls he will not be remembered for having had a great BH.

 

[NetProphet]

Fan Zhendong was one (Grand Slam Champion) unless i am missing something. But maybe @M51 can explain what i missed.

Ah yes, of course, we've already had a Grand Slammer since ML 👍
With WCQ needing just the Olympics and Sora needing all 3......
Well WCQ s fitness is definitely a concern but I don't think he is finished.
And Sora obviously has the longer road....
I probably wouldn't bet against both of them managing to do it! 🤷

 

[NextLevel]

I think you're referring more to tactical implementation here rather than outright having a great BH.
As in, does Truls have great intelligence in how he uses his BH?
Yes.
But does Truls have a great BH? Think of FZD, LSD, FLB, and back to ZJ, WH and Kreanga.
But look, even Ma Long didn't have a great BH so it's not a stick to beat Truls with. MLs was good enough to allow him to manipulate the rally the way he wanted it more often than not and in the long run, 51% success there is good enough when you can rely on a near perfect FH and other weapons, not least of which is an amazing TT intellect and superb serving.

TLDR; When TT is over for Truls he will not be remembered for having had a great BH.

I know many coaches who felt Ma Long had one of the best backhands in the world, so these things do have subjectivity in them. Ma Long was very technically sound and could execute all the shots. He just didn't do all of them because the backhand flick did not really fit his game.

From a technical standpoint, Truls doesn't have a great backhand... but he has done a lot of work to make it serviceable and very importantly, his opening backhand topspin vs backspin is extremely nasty and high spin and he also has a decent no spin variation. Moreover, many players struggle to gain an advantage on him either backhand to backhand and even sometimes topspin, even when he doesn't chop block. The biggest gap is that literally, his grip and the fact he doesn't really change it makes it virtually impossible for him to chiquita at a high level. I think this, more than anything else, defines his backhand limitations. But having seen how hard it is for many good players to break him down in backhand rallies, I don't think the way his backhand is regarded does it justice.

 

[NetProphet]

Have time to watch one full match from today

A) Hugo V Lin YJ
or
B) sora V Jin YJ??? 🤔