WTT Singapore Smash 2024 3/7-3/17

[pongfugrasshopper]

https://worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?eventId=2904

Singapore Smash 2024 starts in a few days. With $1.5M in prize money, all of the top players will be there unless injured (Han Ying) or limited by national entry restrictions of 6 per country. In addition to the money, huge ranking points from this tournament are up for grabs in the race to Paris 2024.

Japanese women's doubles have an interesting setup. With Hirano/Miwa as a trial pair for Paris, Japan has split up Japan's strongest pair, Nagasaki/Kihara. My guess is so that Hirano/Miwa don't run into them in the early stages. Looks like Japan and S. Korea are collaborating ( SYB and Joo Cheonhui are active in T-League ) so Nagasaki is partnering with Kim Nayeong and Kihara is partnering with Joo Cheonhui.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Come on Aruna!
Come on Jang Woojin!
Come on Darko!

Allez! Allez! Allez!

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Qualification has started. Ma Jinbao vs. Eric Jouti on Table 2:

https://www.youtube.com/@WTTGlobal

 

[TensorBackhand]

Ma got a free point because Jouti stopped playing from what he thought was Let. But umpire didn't rule a Let.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Majin's serve is wicked. He does the same reverse motion everytime, but manages to get high topspin on it. I'm sure I could not receive it.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Two really good matches so far.

Ma Jinbao seems more vocal to me than Harimoto. Good 3-2 win for him.

On table 3 Zhang Wanling of Singapore wins a 12-10 in the 5th match with a very tricky Jian Fang Lay of Australia.

 

[NextLevel]

Qualification has started. Ma Jinbao vs. Eric Jouti on Table 2:

https://www.youtube.com/@WTTGlobal

WTT lags a good match. WTT should be renamed WTF...

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

WTT lags a good match. WTT should be renamed WTF...

as Zeio pointed out during, of the money WTT gets, it doesn't seem to be putting much into technology

 

[bachikho]

which country vpn can i watch table 1 on wtt channel please?

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

which country vpn can i watch table 1 on wtt channel please?

Qualifying is only tables 2 and 3. You can look at the streaming/broadcasting for the Main Draw at:

World Table Tennis

worldtabletennis.com

 

[NextLevel]

Chan Baldwin... couldn't beat Gardos, now he wants to derail the comeback of Dyjas... come on, Jakub!

And as I say that Jakub doing a special mix of choking and fighting....

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

13 yr. old Loy Ming Ying of Singapore beats Audrey Zarif of France 3-1.

 

[NextLevel]

Qualifying picks (dark horse) - crazy draw - I know Dyjas is out, but he is who I would have picked so I am trying to stay blind:

1. Milos Redzminski (Uda)
2. Jakub Dyjas (Ionescu)
3. Kubik (Thakkar)
4. Gionis (Huang)
5. Ionescu (Feng)
6. Yoshimura (Bardet)
7. Monteiro (Olah)
8. Tanaka (Gacina)

Ladies:
1. Dragoman (Mukherjee)
2. Pesotska (Zhang)
3. Lee Ho Ching (Balazova)
4. Kallberg (Matelova)
5. Chien (Malobabic)
6. Haponova (Pota)
7. Lutz (Vivarelli)
8. Zaharia (Lupulesku)

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Qualifying picks (dark horse) - crazy draw - I know Dyjas is out, but he is who I would have picked so I am trying to stay blind:

1. Milos Redzminski (Uda)
2. Jakub Dyjas (Ionescu)
3. Kubik (Thakkar)
4. Gionis (Huang)
5. Ionescu (Feng)
6. Yoshimura (Bardet)
7. Monteiro (Olah)
8. Tanaka (Gacina)

Ladies:
1. Dragoman (Mukherjee)
2. Pesotska (Zhang)
3. Lee Ho Ching (Balazova)
4. Kallberg (Matelova)
5. Chien (Malobabic)
6. Haponova (Pota)
7. Lutz (Vivarelli)
8. Zaharia (Lupulesku)

Balazova out as well. She was beaten by Yuan Wan who I think will get into the Main Draw. I remember Miyu Nagasaki winning a very close one over Yuan Wan.

This might be Uda's last shot at relevance on the JNT. I think he makes it into the Main Draw.

 

[NextLevel]

Wondering whether Quadri and Omar will get out of the All Africa Games early enough to play in Singapore.

 

[NextLevel]

Ady Sareen coaching Jishan Liang - uphill battle against Marcelo Aguirre to be honest, Bundesliga players are tough...

 

[NextLevel]

Looks like Tatiana learned to play pips - good for her even if bad for my picks lol.

 

[zeio]

MS/WS main draw out.

Hayata and Hirano, and Ito: WTT hates JPN...

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...-be-revamped-for-paris-2024.24977/post-446298

CIC, Diaz, Szocs, YXX et. al. all face the same pressure as SYB in saving their positions, and they will have to face Hayata, Ito, Harimoto and perhaps even Kihara. It will come down to the draw. HY won't be back at least until World Cup 2024, so she is out of the equation and will consider herself lucky to be able to make it in time for Paris 2024.

Given the poor luck of Tasei and Oh Kwanghun at WTTC 2024, Watanabe could be the biggest obstacle to Hirano. The big question now is whether JNT will make use of team order when the poor draw of WTT CS Frankfurt 2023 happens again.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

WS main draw must have been personally rigged by LGL. Okay, I kid, but Hayata vs. Hirano in the 1st round. It seems so diabolical to use Japan's own teammate to either try to knockout Hayata or prevent Hirano a top 4 seed at the Olympics. Plus, Ito in the same group of R16 as the other two.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Looks like LHC beat Wan Yuan 3-1 who I thought would advance. After getting destroyed the 1st game, the remaining three were deuce games with her winning the 3rd game.