I believe that in this world cup there are only 4 players that can even imagine beating one chinese player.
They are:
-Samsonov - Lets not consider him anymore because belarus team is too weak and they will not progress. - But he lost one game yesterday....
-Marcos Freitas - lost two games today...
- Timo Boll - lost two games yesterday....
- Jun Mizutani - won all his games by 3-0. He is the only one in form that can think in win against one chinese guy.
The thing is that games could be more difficult to china if the top players are in good form....and we don't even need to speak about top players injured that quit the WTTC.
For me it would be great to see china lost one single match like two years ago, but this year is more complicated.
My hopes are now with Jun Mizutani.
I don't totally agree. First FANG Bo is somehow weaker than the other 4, and then ZJK is recovering but still not at his best. So those 2 might lose a foreign player. I think Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong and Ma Long are way too strong.
Then among the players able to (not win but challenge) them, there is not just Mizutani. Actually Mizutani is doing very poorly against Chinese players. I've never seen him scoring more than 1 set... and because he's the best ranked player behind the Chinese, they know him way too well. I like Mizutani but i've learnt to not count on him anymore against the Chinese.
I am more thinking in Europe of Fegerl who is really playing well. In Asia, Yoshimura and Oshima are young and good, Jung for Korea is young and plays agressively too (but lacks power i believe). Joo might do well against a nervous Fang Bo or a poor ZJK as well. Won Chu Ting for HK is a young good player as well.
Gauzy and Lebesson have done very well so far in their group. They are full of confidence and might believe a miracle is possible, and believing is part of the equation...
