No he doesn't. He thinks professional table tennis players like Timo Boll had a life when they were kids. He doesn't realize that whether they were on tour or not, many of them left home to train somewhere away from home in a modified school. No world class level otherwise.
No surprise and actually in line with expectations. Kihara (5W2L before this) and DHK (3W1L) know their way around her. SYB's most recent wins in 2024 over the both of them in their poorest of form were 3-2 and they still had a chance to win.
2 MS titles under his belt is still different from 0 MS titles for the self-proclaimed ace in your avatar.
Shinopi beat Karlsson 3-0 here.... maybe the Japanese coaches just did the lineup wrong?
Nothing to add for Matsushima 1.33 years later. He has had plenty of coaching in the past editions of Zennihon Takkyu and selection trials. Whether or not the upcoming Championships two weeks from now will come into play in the new selection system to be announced on 1/19 (just ahead of the Championships), it could make or break his mental state down the road as the next wave from his generation is closing in. For now, XD is his lifeline and he should cherish that more than he does now.
And he beat Jorgic here as well, which he did in their first encounter in the final to win WTT CT Nova Gorica 2022 (also down to the wire).
Uda also beat him at WTT CT Muscat 2024 just a few months ago. If XP is comparable to LSD now, then it'd have made me change my mind. Even if JTTA awarded points for a win like this in the new selection system, Matsushima would not have gained any advantage. He needs to achieve more. At this point, he is not that much ahead of Shinozuka in MD and XD. JTTA has done all it can in Matsushima's favor.
Uda is 6 years older than Sora. Shinozuka is 4 years older. Let's stop retiring them in diapers please.
Yes, togami has a way to go internationally. Seems to be on an upwards trend lately with good wins in the Bundesliga but we will see if he can maintain this in wtt later in the year 🤷♂️
