Bumping this up because of WTT CS Frankfurt and WTT CT Taiyuan, from which it can be been no one cared about beating (or losing to if you will) Togami (not just Harimoto)... LOL
I've been following the news and there is no news on WCT losing to Togami at WTT SCT Lanzhou. So no stakes at all. The news has been all about the Asian Games MS bronze. WCT has done a ton of interviews and in various clips he talks about the weight of this bronze medal and how he wishes this result could inspire the future generations to pick up table tennis. Lastly, he wants more youngsters to rise and "dethrone" him.
http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91479&PID=1141664
https://www.hk01.com/即時體育/946716/杭州亞運-直擊-黃鎮廷勇挫林昀儒鎖定獎牌-突破全靠心態放得開
"So excited!" was the first phrase of the Hong Kong team's men's singles representative Wong Chun Ting when he stepped out of the mixed zone. It was not just because of the medals, but because of his breakthroughs on the court. "In the past, when I played an uphill battle or stronger opponents, many times I would have been unable to bear it, or I would have been getting beaten up throughout the match, but controlling my emotions all the way and winning the match this time was a big breakthrough on the court, so this medal is very valuable."
https://www.hk01.com/即時體育/947078/杭州亞運直擊-港乒一哥終正名-黃鎮廷首獲獎牌-想有後輩衝擊我
"There is no need to solve the age issue at all. The Hong Kong team has relatively few members, and I also hope that more people will challenge me. If 4 to 5 competitive players come up, I may have retired at the age of 22."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_D2Qk6m-oM
And ML didn't lose to Niwa in that match because of low stakes, but the exact opposite, he treated it with high stakes, too high.
"I was too nervous and had no idea who the real Ma Long was (Weibo). I lost the match while in confusion." Can you imagine that this is Ma Long's assessment of himself?
"I was too nervous and cared too much about every point and every ball, so I didn't perform at all," said Ma long.
After the match, Liu Guoliang told the Jingbao reporter that Ma Long did have a "big problem" and even though achieved his Olympic quota target, the process was not perfect. "First of all, it's a psychological problem.
When a 17-year-old younster defeated Ma Long, it's not how well he played, but Ma Long himself didn't perform at all. It can be seen that he was too nervous, took this match too seriously, and valued every point; secondly
in terms of playing style, Niwa is a left-handed player, so once Ma Long is pinpointed, there are not many options."
"No one doubts Ma Long's ability and talent, but in such a major competition involving the Olympics, once there is a psychological problem, it is possible to lose to anyone. Ma Lin in 2000 (Weibo) and Wang Nan (Weibo) in 2008, both had lost in the Olympic qualifiers and it shows the specialness of the Olympics." Liu Guoliang said that after returning home, he would sum up the match and use unconventional methods to strengthen Ma Long's mental ability in 3 months to help him become stronger in the future.
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