Hey, Andy, while you are not at a stage where this may apply yet, I would like to add one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet. Everything that has been said is true - just continue the practicing and add in some things that make it closer to real match situations. The thing I would like to add is to play as many players as possible with slower (and/or weaker) games than you.
You either want a better player who plays more slowly than you but is just consistent (so you have a chance to read the situation and take your shots, even if you lose because they just know how to place the ball or fool you once in a while), or a weaker player who also plays more slowly than you do so you have a chance to move to the ball and take your shots. At the level I currently play, they largely amount to the same thing, but at a lower level, there are some weaker players who play very disruptive styles and can be very aggressive so you rarely get a chance to do anything.
At my club, we have an inverted (on both sides) defensive who plays at the 2000+ level who everyone loves to play because he always gives you a chance to hit the ball (though he mixes up the spins when he is under pressure). I also play lots of lower rated players because I find that many of them give me the same quality of ball that higher level players infrequently but still do. Against the lower players, I get to practice making my shots against these balls stronger so that it transfers to my play vs. higher level players. Higher levels players may give me the same quality of ball but will disguise the play so I may not read it as quickly, but when you get used to looking at the ball over time, you can see what it is doing and just go by the signature, not the shenanigans that produced it.
Playing someone who is beginning at a similar level to yourself may create the problem that they don't have enough control to get to a good third ball or rally. So it's a balancing act. But they just might. But the one thing you need to do in this sport is give yourself room to make mistakes in putting the ball on the table while doing the right strokes. If you are an attacker, that is how the game is played.
Those exactly what i do nowadays, as long i just play to enjoy so i do play against 2-3 players i love to play against, and time to time i try to play with others of different levels high or low, but i keep practice on/with those 2-3 regularly when possible, and they helped me to get some of my lost strokes back, one or 2 of them don't like to play games and just keep practice with different players, i also don't like to play games but i must do to keep on track with games.
Also, when i play games i always became under pressure of not losing or not doing mistakes, and that is why i mostly lose even to lower levels than me sometimes, i lose mostly because of my mistakes and not because they are good enough, because once i am in mood or not in pressure or relaxed they told me i am in another class, but i keep putting myself in bad situations playing off mood and say giving up many points easily.
Now, if i play against those high levels players, in my area it is either 2 things:
A. They never play so strong or serious against me and because they are in high level they only go with my weakest point and keep that to win without playing so aggressively, in this case it will be like i just keep doing the mistakes and don't learn much from them until i learn how to eliminate this weak point of me so they change their style.
B. Or, they play very serious aggressive so i have no chance at all to do anything or to learn anything and just lose set after set even without 11-0, it is like they just practice on me so hardly and smash me, but in this scenario i just don't have any choice and keep fighting or play any offensive or defensive i can to decrease the damage, once i get out of this game then i become strong on another opponent same my level or lower.
From this thread i think it is usual that many just came back to this sport after stopping and asking about how to get back their skills as before or even become better than before, i had a table before and was playing on it with many all levels a lot and was one of top players in the university that time, but i stopped long time and i just came back to it and went to a strong place, an academy club, so ofcourse i will face troubles facing many trained players there, but i hope once i buy a table and give more time to practice on it and do exercises too before i start a real serious coaching then i can be a tough player one day.