Europe Smash 2026, Malmö, 8/8-16

[kindof99]

Harimoto might be the most stable player in the modern game when he's on form.

Haha, the point is that he has not been stably on form...

 

[zeio]

This JOOLA partnership appears to be off to a poor start, maybe an Oh Junsung turnaround is coming...

No matter what, it is a 5-win situation.

Calderano: Laughing to the bank!
Joola: Still in the table tennis business here!
DHS and Butterfly: A close shave, phew!
Xiom: Free capital that can go into our own blade manufacturing!
ADK Co., Ltd: Made in Korea!

 

[Janard]

Gonna support WMY so that the WS Finals will end quickly.

 

[Metaxa]

World class players HATE this one simple trick!

If you analyse just the highlights, you’ll easily spot at least 15 points where Tomo either doesn’t react at all to his forehand or reacts too late. In other words, if you want to beat Tomo, that’s where your advantage lies. Sora can do this because he’s faster than TH and, as a left-hander, can spread his shots very effectively, but he failed to do so in the 6th and 7th sets because he made an inexplicable number of errors.

 

[zeio]

If you analyse just the highlights, you’ll easily spot at least 15 points where Tomo either doesn’t react at all to his forehand or reacts too late. In other words, if you want to beat Tomo, that’s where your advantage lies. Sora can do this because he’s faster than TH and, as a left-hander, can spread his shots very effectively, but he failed to do so in the 6th and 7th sets because he made an inexplicable number of errors.

That's because he can't sustain the intensity that style commands, at least at his current level. This is the 5th time in 2026 Matsushima has dropped G6 in matches that went down to the wire after leading 3-2 or 3-1 (40% win rate). Many Tieba users have noticed that pattern.

2026
WTT CS Chongqing 3-1 -> 3-4 F. Lebrun
World Cup 3-2 -> 4-3 LYJ
World Cup 3-2 -> 3-4 WCQ
WTT CS Yokohama 2-3 -> 4-3 JWJ
EUR GS 3-2 -> 4-3 Ranefur
EUR GS 3-2 -> 3-4 Harimoto

 

[kindof99]

If Harimot does not raise his fighting spirit, the match will be over soon.

 

[Richie]

Haha, the point is that he has not been stably on form...

Really? Wouldn't his ranking and winning the tournament last week and being in the final right now suggest otherwise?

 

[zeio]

If Harimot does not raise his fighting spirit, the match will be over soon.

Refractory period. If the match took place the next day, then may be. It'll come down to Felix.

 

[JustANoob]

If the camera angle was a bit higher we can check harimoto for cavities

 

[baotran]

King Félix!!!

 

[JackJohnson]

Sora would have been a better match up against Felix 😢

 

[zeio]

Refractory period. If the match took place the next day, then may be. It'll come down to Felix.

Harimoto cut down on using chiquita to receive and turned to pushes when possible starting from late G2, likely to force Felix to start from backspin.

Dropping G4 sealed his fate. Kishikawa is useless when you need him to come up with anything on the spot.

 

[JustANoob]

Felix manhandled Harimoto the express way, many tieba users did not expect that. Sora would've probably made for a better and less screamy match.

 

[zeio]

Sora would have been a better match up against Felix 😢

Shinozuka: 2 wins in a row for me in 2026.

 

[backspacer]

Harimoto has never been good against penhold players. And at this point, I think he is both mentally and physically exhausted after the match against Sora. I think he kept his focus very high against Sora as it was not just a match, but something about his and his family's position in JTTA. I felt he was relaxed hugely after the match.

Expect a win from Felix. Would be a great surprise if Harimoto can pull a win. I feel Harimoto grew hugely after Sora's US smash win, so it is still possible.

They used to do just the singles finals on the last day iirc. Harimoto might have fared better today with that format.

 

[zeio]

Harimoto on 4-3 Matsushima with Miguvideo.
https://weibo.com/6040160273/RdHAXvT6N

 

[kindof99]

Shinozuka: 2 wins in a row for me in 2026.

IS it possible that Felix played much better for this tournament?

 

[kindof99]

All Harimoto wants for this tournament is to beat Sora, and I think he is happy with the result so far.

 

[zeio]

IS it possible that Felix played much better for this tournament?

He just lost 2-4 in Yokohama last week.

Togami losing to Coton after his team was 2-0 up in matches at WTTC 2026 made Harimoto and Matsushima lose to Felix (2 losses after 5 consecutive wins against Harimoto at that point) and Alexis in the final 2 matches. If I were Togami, I would reflect on this profoundly.

 

[NextLevel]

I love the way Sora plays. The speed, the technique, at times like a magician. Having said all this, I guess he has to admit the fact that he has a mental block against Harimoto. You can clearly make out he does not like playing Harimoto. Until he acknowledges that, he cannot win. He also has to read spin better. He is not doing that. I won't be surprised if he has gone back to the hotel room and not smashed something!!

Am just an amateur player. Don't come at me for this statement!

Just give them coaches in international matches and the mental block will disappear.