2017 WTTC Medal Summary
Men's Singles
Gold: Ma Long (CHN)
Silver: Fan Zhendong (CHN)
Bronze: Xu Xin (CHN)
Lee Sang Su (KOR)
Women's Singles
Gold: Ding Ning (CHN)
Silver: Zhu Yuling (CHN)
Bronze: Liu Shiwen (CHN)
Miu Hirano (JPN)
Men's Doubles
Gold: Fan Zhendong / Xu Xin (CHN)
Silver: Masataka Morizono / Yuya Oshima (JPN)
Bronze: Jeoung Young Sik / Lee Sang Su (KOR)
Koki Niwa / Maharu Yoshimura (JPN)
Women's Doubles
Gold: Ding Ning / Liu Shiwen (CHN)
Silver: Chen Meng / Zhu Yuling (CHN)
Bronze: Feng Tianwei / Yu Mengyu (SGP)
Hina Hyata / Ito Mima (JPN)
Mixed Doubles
Gold: Maharu Yoshimura / Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN)
Silver: Chen Chien-An / Cheng I-Ching (TPE)
Bronze: Fang Bo (CHN) / Petrissa Solja (GER)
Wong Chun Ting / Doo Hoi Kem (HKG)
The Biggest Winner -- Team China
Winning a total of 10 medals, 4 out of 5 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze, in Dusseldorf, the Chinese have proved themselves again in the World Championships. The team captured gold in men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles in which Ma Long, Ding Ning, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen defended their title from 2015.
It may be human nature that people tend to remember the last thing they have seen the most. By coincidence, I think the most exciting and captivating matches of 2017 WTTC are the men's singles finals and the women's doubles finals, the last 2 matches of 2017 WTTC.
Men's Singles Final
Ma Long defended the men's singles title after 7 games against Fan Zhendong. The men's singles finals of WTTC are always exciting to watch but this match is the crème de la crème of the men's singles finals. Both players played to their best. In the end, Ma Long's experience edged over Fan Zhendong by 2 points in the decisive 7th game. Fan Zhendong showed a sign of nerve at 9:7 in the 7th game. I believe if he had not played the pivot forehand, he could have won the point. That is the turning point of the finals and a small mistake cost the champion. Tears in Ma Long's eyes so did Fan Zhendong, I hope Fan Zhendong would a lesson from this match while Ma Long keeps motivated and play more matches in the future.
Women's Doubles Finals
Once again Ding Ning / Liu Shiwen played against Chen Meng / Zhu Yuling; once again 7 games were played; once again the more experienced pair won by a 2-point margin. The match is a replica of women's doubles semifinals in 2013 Paris WTTC. 4 years have gone and we see the maturity of the 4 players.
Men's Singles Quarterfinals
The "Comeback King" Xu Xin made an incredible comeback in the 7th game at 5:10 in the match against the Chinese rising star Lin Gaoyuan. Lin Gaoyuan is lightning quick and had posed pressure on Xu Xin for several times in the Chinese Trials (Marvellous 12), the warm-up match and certainly in the quarterfinals of men's singles in 2017 WTTC. Xu Xin's nemesis, backhand, especially backcourt backhand counter-loop, is yet to improve. He was at a huge disadvantage when he started to lob at the backcourt with his backhand. However, he has improved his backhand flip and helped him in the 3rd and 4th game. Xu Xin's victory has helped him to secure his ranking in the Chinese national team while Lin Gaoyuan paid a price for inexperience.
Women's Singles Semifinals
Settled for second in the last 2 World Championships, Liu Shiwen was definitely the favourite of the women's singles titles but her dream shattered after 7 games against Zhu Yuling. The match had a dramatic start which Liu Shiwen made a Xu-Xin-style comeback at 10:4 down, forcing Zhu Yuling to call for a very early timeout in the first game. Since both of them are very familiar with each other, there were many amazing rallies and the score was closed in each game. In the 7th game, Liu Shiwen was a bit conservative whereas Zhu Yuling's aggressive strokes were effective. They switched side at 5:1, Zhu Yuling leading and it was hard for Liu Shiwen to narrow the gap.
Women's Singles Finals
In the match of grand-slam player versus first-time finalist, the grand-slam player, Ding Ning won her third women's singles title. It was a great match for Zhu Yuling, given that it was her first time playing in the women's singles final in Worlds. She entered the 4th game leading 2-1 and had a pretty good chance of extending her lead but Ding Ning fought hard and save the game. In the end, the more experienced Ding Ning topped the podium.
The Emerging Team Japan
With 3 years to go to Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese team ramps up their program going into 2020. Kasumi Ishikawa and Maharu Yoshimura captured the first mixed doubles title in 48 years. Another pair of Japanese duo, Yuya Oshima and Masataka Morizono walked away with a silver medal in men's doubles and a bronze for Koki Niwa and Maharu Yoshimura. 17-year-old Miu Hirano created history again winning Japan's first women's singles medal since 1969. On the other hand, Tomokazu Harimoto became the youngest player to make the quarterfinals in World Table Tennis Championships. The team which earned a total of 5 medals in this championships has the second most medals behind China. It's just the beginning of the quad and the Japanese will put every strength and resources into 2020 to have a top showing at home.
A Sweet Revenge, Ding Ning Victory Over Miu Hirano
After a surprising victory in 2017 Asian Championships, Miu Hirano fought strongly in Worlds and made her way to the semifinals defeating the no.3 seed Feng Tianwei. Ding Ning, who lost to Miu Hirano in Asian Championships, was Miu Hirano's opponent in the semifinals. However history did not repeat, after a month of closed training, Ding Ning was well- prepared for playing against Miu Hirano.
Kasumi Ishikawa and Maharu Yoshimura Crowned Mixed Doubles Champion
With the Chinese sending mixed-nationality pairs rather than their strongest combination, the mixed doubles podiums were pretty wide open and could see an awesome mix of medalists. In the end, the Japanese duo beat Fang Bo and Petrissa Solja in the semifinals and Chinese Taipei pairs, Chen Chien-an and Cheng I-ching in the finals. As mixed doubles will be added to Tokyo Olympics, it may be a good start for the Japanese to win the mixed doubles title in the first Worlds of the Tokyo Olympic cycle.
13-Year-Old Tomokazu Harimoto Beat Japan's No.1 Player Jun Mizutani
Prior to the championships, some might think Tomokazu Harimoto did not deserve to be 1 of the 5 Japanese players to play in the men's singles. However, his results and performance had rebutted these doubts. His aggressiveness, speed and wide-angle strokes put him in the lead while Jun Mizutani made many errors in the match. Although Tomokazu Harimoto did not make to the podium, losing to Olympic champion Xu Xin in the quarterfinals, he is a talented young player and will be an Olympic hopeful for Tokyo Olympics.
Men's Doubles Finals
A 4-1 victory by Xu Xin and Fan Zhendong may not sound intense but the match is enjoyable to watch as the pairs played many amazing counter-loops in the match. Credit to the Japanese pairs, Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima as it is not easy to return Xu Xin's spiny loops and Fan Zhendong's powerful smashes.
Supportive Crowd Cheering for the Home Team, Germany
The home team got a lot of support from the local crowd. And the team did not let the crowd down and earned a 0.5 medal in the mixed doubles. Timo Boll, Dimitri Ovtcharov and Ruwen Filus had contributed outstanding matches in Dusseldorf as well.
Mixed Doubles Semifinals
The Sino-German pair, Fang Bo and Petrissa Solja won bronze in the mixed doubles. The pair had a crooked start in the first round against the American pair Kunal Chodri and Lily Zhang in the first round but the pairs got better as they proceeded. They played aggressively against the competitive Japanese pairs, Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa.
Another Sino-German Pair
Timo Boll and Ma Long, the pair which stopped in the round of 32 in Suzhou 2 years ago, played in the men's doubles again in Dusseldorf but they lacked a bit of luck and met the Chinese pair, Xu Xin and Fan Zhendong in the round of 16. What a match to watch as the no.1, 2 and 3 players were in the court.
Men's Singles Quarterfinals
After the collaboration in men's doubles, Timo Boll and Ma Long played against each other in the men's singles quarterfinals. Despite losing 4-2 to Ma Long, his sportsmanship and integrity win the respect of the crowd.
Dimitri Ovtcharov Vs Koki Niwa (Round of 16)
Dimitri Ovtcharov came so close to the quarterfinals but missed it by 2 points after 7 close games.It's a pity that Dima did not extend his lead at 10:8 in the 4th game when he led 2-1. However, Koki Niwa deserved to proceed to the next round not only is he agile but creative as well. The side chop in the 5th game at 4:1 was simply an out-of-the-box move.
Ruwen Filus Vs Fan Zhendong (Round of 16)
We have not been seeing choppers in this recap. Here is one to review, Ruwen Filus against Fan Zhendong in the round of 16 of the men's singles. I wonder whether you call Ruwen Filus a chopper as he attacks as well. A sudden stroke and a sudden chop changed the rhythm of the match and had put Fan Zhendong in a hard time.
The Dark Knight, Lee Sang Su
A surprising defeat, Zhang Jike was a far cry from his peak and ended his Worlds in the round of 32 which was his worse men's singles result at Worlds. While Lee Sang Su was aggressive and consistent in the rallies. He also played smartly by hitting to Zhang Jike's open forehand side. Winning the most-decorated player is not only about great technique but mental toughness as well. With Jeoung Young Sik, Lee Sang Su, Jeong Sang Eun and Jang Woo Jin on the team, it will be interesting to see Team Korea in next year's World Team Championships.
No More Must-See Matches?
I did a list of must-see matches for 2017 Asian Championships. It ends up not quite popular and making the list is quite time-consuming. Given that, I have not watched all the matches from 2017 WTTC, it might not be legit and responsible to make a must-see list. However, besides of the matches mentioned above, the followings are exciting matches that I personally think worth-(re)watching! Tell me your favouritete match of the championships in the comment below!
1.) Chen Weixing (AUT) Vs Ng Pak Nam (HKG) [MS Round of 64]
2.) Fan Zhendong / Xu Xin (CHN) Vs Wong Chun Ting / Ho Kwan Kit (HKG) [MD Quarterfinals]
3.) Doo Hoi Kem/ Wong Chun Ting (HKG) Vs Chen Chien-An / Cheng I-Ching [XD Semifinals]
4.) Solja Petrissa / Winter Sabine (GER) Vs Ni Xialian / De Nutte Sarah (LUX) [WD Round of 32]
5.) Hitormi Sato Vs Samara Elizabeta [WS Round of 32]
The Predictions
Do you remember the wall of rivals hung in the Chinese training hall? It's the moment of truth to see how far these players have made in 2017 WTTC. The following list is by no means mocking any athletes. I thought it would be interesting to see whether the Chinese have overlooked some players.
Men's Singles
Jeoung Young Sik (KOR): Round of 128
Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE): Round of 16
Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER): Round of 16
Jun Mizutani (JPN): Round of 64
Timo Boll (GER): Quarterfinals
Valdimir Samsonov (BLR): Round of 16
Marcos Freitas (POR): Round of 16
The Second Tier
Wong Chun Ting (HKG): Quarterfinals
Kristian Karlsson (SWE): Round of 128
Koki Niwa (JPN): Quarterfinals
Stefan Fegerl (AUT): Round of 32
Lee Sang Su (KOR): Bronze
Chen Chien-an (TPE): Round of 64
Jang Woojin (KOR): Round of 32
Simon Gauzy (FRA): Round of 64
Tang Peng (HKG): Did not play in WTTC due to injury
Robert Gardos (DEN): Round of 64
Tiago Apolonia (POR): Round of 128
Alexander Shibaev (RUS): Round of 32
Kenta Matsudaira (JPN): Round of 128
Lebesson Emmanuel (FRA): Round of 64
The Third Tier
Liam Pitchford (GBR): Round of 128
Paul Drinkhall (GBR): Round of 64
Par Gerell (SWE): Round of 64
Tristan Flore (FRA): Round of 32
Patrick Franziska (GER): Round of 64
Mattias Karlsson (SWE): Round of 32
Hugo Calderano (BRA): Round of 32
Gao Ning (SGP): Round of 64
Bojan Tokic (SLO): Round of 64
Panagiotis Gionis (GRE): Round of 32
Quadri Aruna (NIG): Round of 64
Andrej Gacina (CRO): Round of 64
Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN): Quarterfinals
Players who made the round of 16 but not on the list : Jeong Sang Eun (KOR), Pistej Lubomir (SVK), Ruwen Filus (GER)
Women's Singles and Women's Doubles
Women's Doubles:
Choe Hyon Hwa / Kim Song I (PRK): Did not play in WTTC
Miu Hirano / Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN): Round of 16
Feng Tianwei / Yu Mengyu (SGP): Bronze
Ito Mima / Hayata Hina (JPN): Bronze
Cheng I-ching / Chen Szu-yu (TPE): Quarterfinals
Doo Hoi Kem / Lee Ho Ching (HKG): Quarterfinals
Petrissa Solja / Winter Sabine (GER): Round of 16
Kim Kyungah / Suh Hyowon (KOR): Round of 32
Li Jie (NED) / Li Qian (POL): Round of 16
Lee Zion / Yang Haeun (KOR): Round of 64
Monteiro Dodean Daniela / Samara Elizabeta (ROU): Round of 32
Players who made the quarterfinals but not on the list : Zhang Lily / Wu Yue (USA) and Batra Manika / Das Mouma (IND)
Women's Singles:
Miu Hirano (JPN): Bronze
Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN): Quarterfinals
Mima Ito (JPN): Round of 16
Feng Tianwei (SGP): Quarterfinals
Kim Song I (PRK): Round of 16
Cheng I-ching (TPE): Round of 64
Doo Hoi Kem (HKG): Round of 64
Chen Szu-yu (TPE): Round of 32
Lee Ho Ching (HKG): Round of 32
Petrissa Solja (GER): Round of 64
Li Jie (NED): Round of 16
Tie Yana (HKG): Did not play in WTTC
Yang Haeun (KOR): Round of 32
Li Qian (POL): Round of 32
Kim Kyungah (KOR): Round of 32
Melek Hu (TUR): Did not play in WTTC
Suh Hyowon (KOR): Round of 32
Samara Elizabeta (ROU): Round of 16
Players who made the round of 16 but not on the list: Maria Xiao (ESP), Silbereisen Kristin (GER), Monterio Dodean Daniela (ROU), Miyu Kato (JPN)
Generally speaking, the Chinese has all the players who have made to the singles quarterfinals on their list. So it seems that the Chinese know their rivals pretty well. There are only 1 European making the men's singles quarterfinals and none in the women's side. The Europeans probably need to put more effort in order to catch up the Asians.
Food For Thoughts
Apart from the marvellous matches in Worlds, there are some issue worth-discussing. Comment below and speak out your thoughts!
Mixed Doubles in Olympics
The Japanese duo won this year's mixed doubles title since mixed-doubles will be added to 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will there be a chance for non-Chinese table tennis players to win an Olympic gold medal in 2020?
The 0.5 Medal
Mixed-nationality doubles have achieved great results in 2015 and 2017 WTTC. The Sino-German duo, Fang Bo and Petrissa Solja won bronze in mixed doubles in Dusseldorf. As mentioned in the previous Throwback Thursday, mixed-nationality doubles is not a new thing. It existed dated back in the 1930s but was banned after 1995 because ITTF would like to encourage nation associations to train their own players. The mixed-nationality pairing policies were re-introduced in 2015 WTTC but it took up the quota from both nation. Despite each player of the mixed-nationality pair will take up 0.5 quotas in 2019 as opposed to 1 in 2015 and 2017, language barrier and lack of training may be the obstacles of the pairs. Do you think cross-nationality doubles should be supported?
When to Serve?
In the men's singles round of 16, Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) versus Lubomir Pistej (SVK), Lubomir served suddenly when Tomokazu was not prepared at 8:4 in the 4th game. This had stirred up the rhythm of the match and helped Lubomir Pistej to win 1 game. There are no specific rules to ask players to serve when their opponents are ready but it is more of a sportsmanship to serve when both sides are ready. Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
Interesting Moment
World Championships is not just about winning and losing. There are also a few interesting moments.
An early celebration for Ding Ning in the women's singles semifinals. Ding Ning was so excited in the 5th game and thought it was the end of the match when it was only 10:5. Fortunately, her coach Li Sun called for a timeout to calm her down.
Bright players in bright skirts. We've been seeing some female players wearing skirts in competitions in recent years. The skirts are usually black (pink for the Chinese in Rio) but we see Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling wearing bright yellow skirts in the championships! Do you like their skirts? Leave your comment below!
Dealing With Post-WTTC Syndrome
If you are still suffering from the post-WTTC syndrome (longing for more matches and news about players...) after reading this post, here is a playlist which includes interviews of Team China before and after the championships subbed in English. Not only do the videos illustrate how strong the Chinese team is but how much has gone on behind the scene. No wonder Ding Ning mentioned several times in the interviews that her victory is the collaboration of the entire Chinese team.
What's After Dusseldorf?
The most prestigious world-class table tennis competition of this year, 2017 WTTC, has come to an end but there are still a lot of exciting competitions coming up. Japan Open is undergoing and Australia Open and China Open are coming up. Apart from the World Tour series, T2 APAC (click here to learn more about it), a pan-regional table tennis league will be started on 28 June. Last but not least there will be Chinese National Games in late-August.
Since I am writing these blogs during my spare time, I don't think I will cover every international competition but I will keep you updated whenever there is news about the Chinese. And I will probably write about the upcoming Chinese National Games. Let me know what do you expect from this blog in the comment below!
The most prestigious world-class table tennis competition of this year, 2017 WTTC, has come to an end but there are still a lot of exciting competitions coming up. Japan Open is undergoing and Australia Open and China Open are coming up. Apart from the World Tour series, T2 APAC (click here to learn more about it), a pan-regional table tennis league will be started on 28 June. Last but not least there will be Chinese National Games in late-August.
Since I am writing these blogs during my spare time, I don't think I will cover every international competition but I will keep you updated whenever there is news about the Chinese. And I will probably write about the upcoming Chinese National Games. Let me know what do you expect from this blog in the comment below!
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