They have lost to Lin and Kuai. But yes, they combine to a different level and their experience and synergy is pretty much automatic now.
Exactly because of the precious score. They’d have lost with the same lineup again so they went into a gamble which didn't work out either. Still better than having the same losing strategy again
Thats why it is frustrating when fans act like the team they picked is the only reasonable one to pick and that the people using other team configurations, usually national team coaches who have studied the team all year round, are just people who don't understand table tennis enough to pick the right team.
Once I saw Tomo in the lineup in the singles slot, I accepted that this was purely experimental. But I can't think of a lineup that would have produced a different ultimate result so no point in overly thinking it. And #2 is about where Japan will be seeded anyways so it is what it is until they find a pair that can compete with SYS and WCQ in XD.
Given that Tomo has a good history vs. LSD I can accept that. They didn't use Hina at all in their Stage 2 meeting. Regardless of the final outcome, why not use Togami/Hayata in Stage 3 where Togami/Miwa lost 3-0. In addition to being a lefty, Hina is a better doubles player than Miwa. But who knows. It's not an exact science.
Fully reasonable and she may well have been injured. Just doubtful that it would have significantly affected the result at this point in time.
Do you have a guess about what it could be? Would it be more related to the number of players required and the possible singles/doubles configurations?
