Japan Women's Race to Tokyo 2020 Singles

[zeio]

To me that's stretching this take-one-for-the-team conspiracy theory a bit far.

It takes getting used to.

 

[yoass]

It makes total sense as the CNT wants Ito out of the top 2 spots.

Which only makes sense if you believe there's a totally immersive plot, embraced by all, to prefer winning by shenanigans to winning by actually winning.

I choose not to believe this. Call me naïve, but my life is way more fun that way.

 

[zeio]

Not naive, but boring. I've been wondering why the table tennis scene is so dull in Europe...

 

[yoass]

I think I'll take that as a compliment. Boring is a good thing. We need more boring. Coz' there's not enough love to go round.

 

[Shine]

To me that's stretching this take-one-for-the-team conspiracy theory a bit far.

I agree with Mr yoass, it's gotten a bit too far, I'm not intending to offend anyone but I think our Chinese speaking contingent who are very invaluable to this forum due to the video translations, articles, streams and making us aware of happenings in the Asian table tennis scene are inadvertently or not, a big factor in the conviction of many foreign fans that the CNT are this compromising, dirty, meddling, cheating hegemon on this sport, I don't know man! but I know many do not support the CPC or are disillusioned with the country, but even if it's necessary to speak the truth, I'd expect some love for the motherland restraint and not wanting to let one's countrymen downwhich is normal, And what's the truth in this matter?: Fueling a narrative to keep everyone on their seats till January, cos the truth has to come with proofs and not opinions, and not speculations either, which is basically the basis of the theories here, CNT do not want Ito to play Olympics: One doesn't not great foresight to know you don't want your strongest adversaries if possible to play in the Olympics, the same way anyone can say JNT or any other association will prefer Ma Long not playing in the Olympics which is true and doesn't need much proving as him not being the makes it easier for others. But saying players are tanking, "sacrifices" without no considerable proof and just speculating is just unfounded. The race between the girls is exciting enough as it winds down, there's no need for additives

 

[karupinkun]

miyu is the CNT undercover agent. Does nothing other then snipe the biggest possible threats in Ito and Hayata.

 

[zeio]

miyu is the CNT undercover agent. Does nothing other then snipe the biggest possible threats in Ito and Hayata.

Getting a bit too far, or so they say. LOL

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

miyu is the CNT undercover agent. Does nothing other then snipe the biggest possible threats in Ito and Hayata.

Well, if you want to talk undercover agents. At the moment there is more Chinese people than Japanese people in the entire JNT setup (coaches, training partners, players etc)

At one tournament, I was seated in the VIP section.
I had a couple of Japanese team coaches behind me, all talking to each other in Mandarin

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

I know I'll probably get some backlash for this, but I think the Japanese Olympic Selection Committee should just revise the process to say T2 events do not count towards selection. It's not technically a 2019 ITTF World Tour Event. It's got a ridiculous non-ITTF 5 points playoff after 24 minutes scoring system. It's ITTF's laboratory for what they might wanna try in their own events, which is fine, but not suitable for Olympic selection. If Mima Ito doesn't make Olympic Singles because of this, I'm going to be pissed !!!

 

[Shine]

I know I'll probably get some backlash for this, but I think the Japanese Olympic Selection Committee should just revise the process to say T2 events do not count towards selection. It's not technically a 2019 ITTF World Tour Event. It's got a ridiculous non-ITTF 5 points playoff after 24 minutes scoring system. It's ITTF's laboratory for what they might wanna try in their own events, which is fine, but not suitable for Olympic selection. If Mima Ito doesn't make Olympic Singles because of this, I'm going to be pissed !!!

I'll rather just blame the Chinese, We all need something or someone to blame for things turning out how we don't want them to in this 21st century

 

[yoass]

We all need something or someone to blame for things turning out how we don't want them to in this 21st century

I blame the current and past generations for global warming, resource exhaustion, plastic soup, the 6th mass extinction event, the Kardashians, and the upcoming nuclear armageddon. Am I wrong?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I know I'll probably get some backlash for this, but I think the Japanese Olympic Selection Committee should just revise the process to say T2 events do not count towards selection. It's not technically a 2019 ITTF World Tour Event. It's got a ridiculous non-ITTF 5 points playoff after 24 minutes scoring system. It's ITTF's laboratory for what they might wanna try in their own events, which is fine, but not suitable for Olympic selection. If Mima Ito doesn't make Olympic Singles because of this, I'm going to be pissed !!!

nah, since they don't even use ITTF approved balls or ITTF approved tables or ITTF rules (handbook)
I doubt this will have any dent in any team selection.

I wonder how much T2 paid ITTF to make it "ranking pointable"
don't get me wrong, I like T2, but someone should be fired to allow a private invitational tournament to have point allocations
It is now fact and a precedent to future rich folks who want to have a tournament and bend the rules and still get ranking points because of $$$$$

 

[apacible]

So far in the Czech Open in XD - Ishikawa-Harimoto and Ito-Mizutani ....

For Bulgaria and Czech, Hirano and Shibata will be playing Women's Doubles together again. Not really sure what JTTA is trying to accomplish by using this pairing for 4 events in a row. Certainly, it would be wiser to experiment with players who have better chances at making the Olympic team. I'm still surprised they are not testing out Hirano/Ito or Hirano/Hayata or trying to make Ishikawa/Hirano work.

There isn't much time left before the Jan. 2020 deadline to select the Olympic Teams and figure out other doubles combinations that work. Right now, the Ito/Hayata pairing is the only Olympic-likely pairing that is proven to work. However, the problem is that at this point, there's no guarantee that Hayata will make a Olympics and if she doesn't, the Japanese Women's team will face the same problem the Men's team is facing of having no suitable doubles pairing in the Olympic team.

Given that Ishikawa and Ito are busy playing mixed doubles in these tournaments, I doubt JTTA would want to give them a 3rd event in Women's doubles. That leaves Hayata and Hirano free to play Women's Doubles, but JTTA is still insisting on the Hirano/Shibata pairing. It's a puzzling selection and not a good sign for Hayata.

 

[Vlad Celler]

.....and not a good sign for Hayata. ....

Agreed..

 

[NextLevel]

For Bulgaria and Czech, Hirano and Shibata will be playing Women's Doubles together again. Not really sure what JTTA is trying to accomplish by using this pairing for 4 events in a row. Certainly, it would be wiser to experiment with players who have better chances at making the Olympic team. I'm still surprised they are not testing out Hirano/Ito or Hirano/Hayata or trying to make Ishikawa/Hirano work.

There isn't much time left before the Jan. 2020 deadline to select the Olympic Teams and figure out other doubles combinations that work. Right now, the Ito/Hayata pairing is the only Olympic-likely pairing that is proven to work. However, the problem is that at this point, there's no guarantee that Hayata will make a Olympics and if she doesn't, the Japanese Women's team will face the same problem the Men's team is facing of having no suitable doubles pairing in the Olympic team.

Given that Ishikawa and Ito are busy playing mixed doubles in these tournaments, I doubt JTTA would want to give them a 3rd event in Women's doubles. That leaves Hayata and Hirano free to play Women's Doubles, but JTTA is still insisting on the Hirano/Shibata pairing. It's a puzzling selection and not a good sign for Hayata.

I don't think it has any special meaning and the really bad sign for Hayata is Ishikawa's play in singles. My two cents...

Six months is still a while.

 

[driversbeat]

To be honest, Japan doesn't lose much by sending Ito, Hirano and Ishikawa. They are all playing well at the moment even if their results aren't as groundbreaking as one might expect. Their chances against China might marginally improve if Hayata goes, but that isn't saying much unless Ito-Hayata can beat Chinese pairs on a consistent basis, which they aren't.

 

[Jacky Kwok]

I am a fan of the Japanese women’s team (especially for Ito and Hayata). I cheer for them whenever they have matches vs other countries’s players (maybe except Hong Kong because I am from Hong Kong).

However this time, I can hope both Ishikawa and Hirano will lose in the 1st round of T2 Malaysia too. It will be heart breaking if Ito cannot play Olympics single.

 

[zeio]

If you want to see Ito in singles and Hayata in team/mixed doubles, then Hirano will have to advance.

 

[Janard]

Well, things should be a little clearer when we reach the Team World Cup (6-10 November 2019) event. The five players fielded from each association will likely be the Olympics hopefuls and the three selected for the Semis and Finals the frontrunners at that time.

 

[driversbeat]

Well they all got knocked out in the first round. Should have stayed at home