WTT Singapore Smash 2024 3/7-3/17

[zeio]

At last you have Timo. Timos world ranking dropped a lot, after his injury problems, but in the last months you see what he is capable of if his body is fit. He won against Lin, Harimoto, Jang, LSD, Lee Sang Su... Which other player other then F. Lebrun can say something like that? The olmpics were never his tournament, but with the form he is in it would be criminal to take him to paris.

What are your thoughts? I would like to see Qiu and Boll in singles and Franziska for the team, but i fear they will leave Boll out because of his world ranking and injuries.

Forget Boll. How many frigging times has it been? I'm tired of guessing right every time from an absurdly small sample size. Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and only for it to repeat one last time at Paris 2024? Give me a break.

He just missed out on WTTC 2024 due to iritis. Gosh! Yet again! No one cares about the WTT SCT Doha 2024 (Harimoto didn't want to play but still played for the WR points only) and the Singapore Smash 2024. What good does playing well there and here do?

2016/2/20
https://web.archive.org/web/2021120...imo-boll-interview_topic74402_post920763.html (02/20/2016 at 4:17pm)

Nothing in particular as Boll has always been eliminated before meeting any Chinese player.

2000 Lost to Schlager in the Rd of 16
2004 Lost to we-all-know-who in the QF
2008 Lost to Oh in the Rd of 16
2012 Lost to Crisan in the Rd of 16
2016 Gonna lose to a non-Chinese in the early round

https://youtu.be/esaYHpYpfDw?t=363

2021/1/17
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017

Had Tokyo 2020 been held on time, Boll would've been pushed around in SINGLES, AGAIN, 99% certain. Just not the type of player who gets it done in SINGLES when it counts. He has the habit of getting injured/losing form before the majors even during his prime. WTTC 2007, WTTC 2008(didn't attend) and Beijing 2008, WTTC 2009(didn't attend, 1, 2, 3), London 2012... Yet, he is a different animal in TEAM event. Don't count him out. It took a once-in-a-lifetime-XX-beating Mizutani to take him out at Rio 2016, when Boll was yet again injured.

Always assume South Korea as the dark horse when it counts. JYS will carry the team.

2021/7/22
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-348651

Enough has been written on Boll. Even he was "secretly happy" the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. At this point, all I want to see is for the 8-time European Champion to meet China for once. The fans, not Boll, deserve better than this. After all these years, China still puts him in Group 1. So many fans in China give their blessings to him after learning the draw and his previous Olympic journeys. It is fair to say he has gotten more than his own worth from the fans. Timo Boll ALC Special - 70th anniversary edition, released exclusively in China. Let that sink in for a minute.

波尔：我只想奥运单打可以上一次领奖台………(Boll: I just want to be on the podium once...)
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7458552338

2021/7/27
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017

https://imgur.com/a/4u1RgpX

Boll: I never lost to China at the Olympics.
zeio: Just retire, 8-time European Champion.

 

[NextLevel]

Forget Boll. How many frigging times has it been? I'm tired of guessing right every time from an absurdly small sample size. Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and only for it to repeat one last time at Paris 2024? Give me a break.

He just missed out on WTTC 2024 due to iritis. Gosh! Yet again! No one cares about the WTT SCT Doha 2024 (Harimoto didn't want to play but still played for the WR points only) and the Singapore Smash 2024. What good does playing well there and here do?

2016/2/20
https://web.archive.org/web/2021120...imo-boll-interview_topic74402_post920763.html (02/20/2016 at 4:17pm)


https://youtu.be/esaYHpYpfDw?t=363

2021/1/17
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017


2021/7/22
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-348651


2021/7/27
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017

For the singles I agree with you, but for the Teams, I think the other teams have upped their game sufficiently that Boll is a better insurance policy than Franziska. Just my opinion.

 

[Shine]

It may have been an easier one for WCQ if it wasn't his third match of the day, He couldn't run around much as he usually does, so had to be specific with his placement and going for the kill for almost every ball is also a lot of stress.

 

[Shine]

Both Wang Hao and Ma lin are really bad coaches on the field. Their body language and facial expression are just so bad, even a little disturbing...

They don't have to be completely stoic machines though. It's normal to be emotionally expressive, whether they're getting the fundamentals of their preparation and observations to the players is important. Although I suppose looking less worried may actually allay the fears and the tension of their wards.

 

[NextLevel]

It may have been an easier one for WCQ if it wasn't his third match of the day, He couldn't run around much as he usually does, so had to be specific with his placement and going for the kill for almost every ball is also a lot of stress.

It is crazy that we might actually get a triple gold winner in table tennis and a triple gold winner at a WTTC sometime in the future. 2023, he was there, but there was so much respect for FZD that no one ever seriously discussed it. I thought SYS could get there on the women's side but she and WMY fubared it. It will be interesting to see what happens for sure.

 

[Shine]

The camera is not at all at the same eye level as Dang Q's, so this shot is completely irrelevant.
What is much worse is Wang's positioning at the side (and so many others) of the table which makes him serve almost every FH shuttle service over the table. When is this ever going to be banned?

The umpire needs to tell him to stand behind the table, but I don't think it'll change much about the trajectory of his serves.

 

[zeio]

For the singles I agree with you, but for the Teams, I think the other teams have upped their game sufficiently that Boll is a better insurance policy than Franziska. Just my opinion.

That's what I meant by forget Boll (for MS).

Petition to have Boll play MT at Paris 2024. And QD as reserve player.

 

[Shine]

Forget Boll. How many frigging times has it been? I'm tired of guessing right every time from an absurdly small sample size. Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and only for it to repeat one last time at Paris 2024? Give me a break.

He just missed out on WTTC 2024 due to iritis. Gosh! Yet again! No one cares about the WTT SCT Doha 2024 (Harimoto didn't want to play but still played for the WR points only) and the Singapore Smash 2024. What good does playing well there and here do?

2016/2/20
https://web.archive.org/web/2021120...imo-boll-interview_topic74402_post920763.html (02/20/2016 at 4:17pm)


https://youtu.be/esaYHpYpfDw?t=363

2021/1/17
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017


2021/7/22
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-348651


2021/7/27
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/tokyo-2020-2020-7-24-8-9.23698/post-349017

The biggest risk with Boll is that anyday, anytime, few hours to the Olympic final, his chances of pulling something that'll make his doctors say "If you go on to play this match, you could have morbid or debilitating consequences" is too high. Iritis was a shocker for me.

 

[Shine]

It is crazy that we might actually get a triple gold winner in table tennis and a triple gold winner at a WTTC sometime in the future. 2023, he was there, but there was so much respect for FZD that no one ever seriously discussed it. I thought SYS could get there on the women's side but she and WMY fubared it. It will be interesting to see what happens for sure.

I think it's easier to get a triple gold win when you're playing one match per day or two at most with 5 - 6 hours minimum between matches. But all these 3-4 matches that Xu Xin and now WCQ eventually takes a toll.

I think the Olympics is one event category after another instead of 3-4 intermeshed together, right??
That should be easier for Wang / Sun, and if they win the mixed doubles in the Olympics, their momentum might just be unstoppable. They're good at coming back after losses though, so even if they lose the XD, they can win a double. We'll see how it goes.

I think that WTTC was actually the turning point for Wang in his battles against Fan. We'll see how it goes in the future.

 

[dingyibvs]

The umpire needs to tell him to stand behind the table, but I don't think it'll change much about the trajectory of his serves.

There's no rule for where you can stand. Also, it's pretty clear that he doesn't serve over the table. There are other camera angles that show his head obscuring the serve though, but that's hard for the umpires to tell from the side.

 

[SFF_lib]

Hats off for Timo. At the age of 43 this is an outstanding performance 👍👍🙌🙌

Understandably he was already slow and tired in the last set. But he still put up a good fight against someone 16 years younger than him.

 

[Shine]

FYI
LJK 4 H2H 0 LYJ
Last one was close, 3-2 for LJK at WTT SCT Doha 2024
LJK 4 H2H 3 WCQ
Last two to LJK, 4-3 at WTT CT Novo Mesto 2021 and 3-0 at WTT CS Xinxiang 2023

Yes, right now him and LGY have been underwhelming despite being older than Fan and Wang, but if they keep playing good TT, Some wins will surely come for them.
Ma/Fan have been their blocker in so many tournaments from time, that's why it's good that Ma is retiring, it'll probably make them a little more vulnerable than they already are, but It'll also give these guys chances.
Gone are the days when FZD rarely loses to his teammates not named Ma, or foreigners in Competitions, there's still a couple world cups, 2 more individual WTTCs and an Olympic to fight for ( It makes every sense for both of them to retire after LA 2028).

 

[NextLevel]

Yes, right now him and LGY have been underwhelming despite being older than Fan and Wang, but if they keep playing good TT, Some wins will surely come for them.
Ma/Fan have been their blocker in so many tournaments from time, that's why it's good that Ma is retiring, it'll probably make them a little more vulnerable than they already are, but It'll also give these guys chances.
Gone are the days when FZD rarely loses to his teammates not named Ma, or foreigners in Competitions, there's still a couple world cups, 2 more individual WTTCs and an Olympic to fight for ( It makes every sense for both of them to retire after LA 2028).

I don't know about underwhelming, given that Liang was firmly behind even the likes of Jang Woojin and Lin Gaoyuan behind the likes of Koki Niwa, unlike Wang Chuqin who was largely struggling with older teammates. I think that in full context, both Lin and Liang outperformed their youth expectations, especially Liang. It just isn't good enough for team China to not be extra secure under pressure and people who watch Lin and Liang in person say that you can see the pressure on them when they play in a way you don't see it in Fan and Ma.

 

[NextLevel]

The shovel obviously has some sinister purposes behind it.
But this match against Truls, he used his normal pendulum serve throughout and yet Truls was complaining, Is there a possibility that that's just the way he learnt it from the coaches?? Or there's something with the mechanics of the pendulum that makes it difficult to serve cleanly? Maybe he can't really control the rotation of his torso during the service motion and the ball contact is behind his head??
Apart from FZD whose pendulum serve looks clean, his reverse looks iffy to me though. Any east asian pro with very clean Chinese style pendulum serves at the point of contact??

The pendulum itself almost always ends up behind the body, side on serving is very difficult to make clean. Where Ma Long tends to get credit is that his contact is *usually* visible, but his toss almost always goes behind his head, but the racket contact is usually visible. In general, FZD gets points for honest intent from me.

 

[SFF_lib]

WCQ lost his first set in the entire tournament to Qiu Dang. To be fair the score is very tight. If Qiu Dang can return a few WCQ’s serves the score would’ve been very different.

 

[Metaxa]

The umpire needs to tell him to stand behind the table, but I don't think it'll change much about the trajectory of his serves.

Yet there are plenty of players who also use FH shuttle services and who always stand behind their "baseline" of the table or others who only partially take their seats at the side of the table.
However, if you look at the positions of Wang CQ and e.g. Lim JH, you can actually see in advance that those services are going to be illegal. Both (there are several other players) are pretty much standing with the full width of their pelvis at the side of the table. That means their shoulder is going to be above the edge of the table. As they all have to make an active forward reaction to make that service, the point of contact of racket and ball always ends up above the table and obviously not behind the baseline of the table as it should because this is impossible from this position.
As we can see, it can also be different, Calderano (stands completely behind the table), Boll, Lin GY, etc. also stand pretty much completely behind their baseline or only limited with one leg on the side.
So it should not be that difficult to make a regulation banning the use of the side of the table so that regulation 2.6.4 can really be implemented without infringing on it.

 

[dingyibvs]

Yet there are plenty of players who also use FH shuttle services and who always stand behind their "baseline" of the table or others who only partially take their seats at the side of the table.
However, if you look at the positions of Wang CQ and e.g. Lim JH, you can actually see in advance that those services are going to be illegal. Both (there are several other players) are pretty much standing with the full width of their pelvis at the side of the table. That means their shoulder is going to be above the edge of the table. As they all have to make an active forward reaction to make that service, the point of contact of racket and ball always ends up above the table and obviously not behind the baseline of the table as it should because this is impossible from this position.
As we can see, it can also be different, Calderano (stands completely behind the table), Boll, Lin GY, etc. also stand pretty much completely behind their baseline or only limited with one leg on the side.
So it should not be that difficult to make a regulation banning the use of the side of the table so that regulation 2.6.4 can really be implemented without infringing on it.

That's wrong. As you rotate your body to make the service, the active arm/shoulder moves back, not forward.

 

[kindof99]

LYJ or Felix might be ranked as high as No. 3 if one of them wins this tournament.

 

[FIXPOINT]

 

[FIXPOINT]