WTT Macao 2023

[blahness]

Don't know about you. I am quite excited about Alexis vs ML tonight. I hope they can play 7 sets. I hope Alexis can get into the final.

What's your prediction?

I think Ma Long loves to complicate the game and Alexis too loves to complicate the game. Ma Long usually loses to those who simplifies the game well and have amazing rallying skills (in the past, Boll, Wang Hao, now it's Fan Zhendong, Lin Yun Ju, Harimoto).

So I highly doubt that Ma Long is gonna lose this. It'll probably be 4-1 or 4-2 for Ma Long imo.

 

[JeffM]

Don't know about you. I am quite excited about Alexis vs ML tonight. I hope they can play 7 sets. I hope Alexis can get into the final.

What's your prediction?

I am keen to see an upset! But realistically, I think ML would probably win 4-2 due to his ability to adapt to players and match experience.

 

[SFF_lib]

I think Ma Long loves to complicate the game and Alexis too loves to complicate the game. Ma Long usually loses to those who simplifies the game well and have amazing rallying skills (in the past, Boll, Wang Hao, now it's Fan Zhendong, Lin Yun Ju, Harimoto).

So I highly doubt that Ma Long is gonna lose this. It'll probably be 4-1 or 4-2 for Ma Long imo.

Alexis has a pretty high morale, if he can bring ML to the 7th set, his age will be his advantage. I agree your rallying skill needs to be extremely good to get a game of ML. And ML is a lot smarter in short game and serve than FZD. Will see

 

[OldUser]

ML is the best chinese coach I know, so obviously he’ll get to that chess kind of playing the match rather than playing the chinese textbook. He can think as a european.

 

[SFF_lib]

ML is the best chinese coach I know, so obviously he’ll get to that chess kind of playing the match rather than playing the chinese textbook. He can think as a european.

ML is a tactician. You have to outsmart ML, not by power

 

[lodro]

are you girls now talking about ML or ML ??
Ma Ling (the coach ) or Ma Long ?????

 

[blahness]

ML is the best chinese coach I know, so obviously he’ll get to that chess kind of playing the match rather than playing the chinese textbook. He can think as a european.

Not sure what you mean by the phrase "think as a European" which is condescending af and borderline racist, do you really think Asian players are dumb players who only win by superior technique? All of the CNT greats are amazing tacticians, from Liu Guoliang to Ma Lin to Zhang Jike to Ma Long.

 

[OldUser]

Not sure what you mean by the phrase "think as a European" which is condescending af and borderline racist, do you really think Asian players are dumb players who only win by superior technique? All of the CNT greats are amazing tacticians, from Liu Guoliang to Ma Lin to Zhang Jike to Ma Long.

As zeio wrote, europeans and chinese don't think TT the same way, even tactically speaking. A. Lebrun is disrupting the chinese tactics and textbook because of the variations in all aspects of the game he brings. The chinese way of thinking TT is rather simplistic, yet efficient don't get me wrong, right ?

The thing with Ma Long is that he adpats very well and can think in a different way when it needs to, only applying the chinese tactics and textbook may not be enough to beat A. Lebrun. That's why I say he can think as a european too, it's not being condescending at all, what I mean is that he can get best of both concepts, and now that he's getting older, he has to think differntly cos' the chinese way of managing careers is not for older players, because of that atheltic way of playing the chinese textbook. As a good old french wine, Ma Long ages very well.

 

[OldUser]

are you girls now talking about ML or ML ??
Ma Ling (the coach ) or Ma Long ?????

Come on lodro hahaha

we all know Wang Hao is the CNT men's coach right ?

I've already pointed that in another thread: the CNT can thank Ma Long for the 3-2 win over Japan in the WTTTC's semi. The way he's coached WCQ in the decider match was a masterpiece.

 

[blahness]

As zeio wrote, europeans and chinese don't think TT the same way, even tactically speaking. A. Lebrun is disrupting the chinese tactics and textbook because of the variations in all aspects of the game he brings. The chinese way of thinking TT is rather simplistic, yet efficient don't get me wrong, right ?

The thing with Ma Long is that he adpats very well and can think in a different way when it needs to, only applying the chinese tactics and textbook may not be enough to beat A. Lebrun. That's why I say he can think as a european too, it's not being condescending at all, what I mean is that he can get best of both concepts, and now that he's getting older, he has to think differntly cos' the chinese way of managing careers is not for older players, because of that atheltic way of playing the chinese textbook. As a good old french wine, Ma Long ages very well.

What is the "Chinese way of thinking in TT"? I think it would help for people to start viewing each Chinese player as an individual rather than a group - everyone has extremely different play styles and strengths. Every player has to optimise their game to reach their highest potential. At this level there's simply no "textbook" so to speak.

For some players for eg Wang Liqin and Fan Zhendong their rallying capabilities are so good that the optimal strategy is to simplify the game and go to the rally stage where they're favoured. It might be "boring" but for them it is the optimal strategy. Deviating from it will just cause them to lose more matches.

Zhang Jike uses the chiquita and BH to great effect and designs his game around it (including his reverse serve). Creating that entire system takes a lot of creativity and complex thinking.

There are players who play with a lot of variations. For eg there was Zhou Xintong a LP/SP penholder who drove a lot of players nuts, and Hou Yingchao who even won the Chinese national championships with weird extreme sidespin loops and chops (not your normal chopper for sure). Xu Xin, Ma Lin, Ma Long play with huge variation of course because they just have extremely good understanding of spin and how to use it to their advantage.

Wang Chuqin also has quite the different playing system than the rest of the CNT especially in serve/receive.

 

[Gtsnake]

Why is the spectator crowd overwhelmingly female. However when you go to a TT club the players are overwhelmingly male?

 

[blahness]

Why is the spectator crowd overwhelmingly female. However when you go to a TT club the players are overwhelmingly male?

Maybe they like how it is played at the highest levels, but then they go into a club, get some training to do topspins and then get beat bad by an old pushblocker who just stands in the same spot and doesn't even move 😂 can't keep much young ppl (esp young women) at the club if the meta is like this.

 

[Gtsnake]

Maybe they like how it is played at the highest levels, but then they go into a club, get some training to do topspins and then get beat bad by an old pushblocker who just stands in the same spot and doesn't even move 😂 can't keep much young ppl (esp young women) at the club if the meta is like this.

But that can happen to anyone not just females.

It must be the TT groupies that scream every time Calderano changes shirts.

 

[NextLevel]

Why is the spectator crowd overwhelmingly female. However when you go to a TT club the players are overwhelmingly male?

Because it is more about the star status and less about the table tennis.

 

[blahness]

But that can happen to anyone not just females.

It must be the TT groupies that scream every time Calderano changes shirts.

Was just joking lol... yes it is and they are unlikely to go to a club to learn to play TT. That said the gender ratio of TT is a bit better in Asia in general.

 

[SFF_lib]

Ma Long is weaponising his crazy serve and short game. Alexis made many unforced errors

 

[SFF_lib]

ML played patiently. Alexis had all it took to take down the Dragon but he grew impatient. Alexis just made too many unforced errors.

For example, if Alexis returned ML's serve high, ML got the point 100% of the time. When ML returned high, Alexis missed quite a lot of easy opportunities.

It's a shame that Alexis blew the opportunity. He was so close to winning the match.

 

[Kopp]

What a celebration?!

👏

 

[blahness]

Imo the biggest surprise I had was Chen Meng winning against super Sun Yingsha in this form with a scoreline of 4-0. It was incredible how well she's playing, it's as if the Olympics form is back.

 

[dingyibvs]

As zeio wrote, europeans and chinese don't think TT the same way, even tactically speaking. A. Lebrun is disrupting the chinese tactics and textbook because of the variations in all aspects of the game he brings. The chinese way of thinking TT is rather simplistic, yet efficient don't get me wrong, right ?

The thing with Ma Long is that he adpats very well and can think in a different way when it needs to, only applying the chinese tactics and textbook may not be enough to beat A. Lebrun. That's why I say he can think as a european too, it's not being condescending at all, what I mean is that he can get best of both concepts, and now that he's getting older, he has to think differntly cos' the chinese way of managing careers is not for older players, because of that atheltic way of playing the chinese textbook. As a good old french wine, Ma Long ages very well.

He's not getting you wrong. You're getting yourself wrong by being condescending and borderline racist without realizing it.