After introducing the women's team, we have the preview of the men's team today! (check out the CNG intro, XD preview and WD preview and MD preview and WT preview here).
Competition Format
The competition format of the men's team event is a similar to the women's team format. It consists of 2 stages: First stage (round robin system) and Final stage (knockout system).
In the first stage (round robin system), the teams will be divided into 4 groups of 4 teams (the top 4 teams in 2016 Chinese Nationals will be drawn into 4 separate different groups). The teams will be ranked according to the number of winning team matches. The best 2 teams of each group will qualify to the final stage.
In the final stage (knockout system), the winning team of each group will play against the second placed team of another group in a knockout quarterfinal format. The winning team and the second placed team from the same group will be drawn into the different halves of the main draw.
A team can have a maximum of 5 members and one of them must be a penholder or a chopper but not necessarily from the same squad who played in the preliminary round.
Each team match consists of the best 3 out of 5 matches (New Swaythling Cup system, 5 singles). Each match is played under a best of 5 games format.
The top 12 teams qualified through the preliminary round held in late March will join the top 4 teams at 2016 Chinese Nationals to compete in the main draw of the Chinese National Games. The main draw for the first stage is shown as follow.
Team Shanghai having 3 National men's team champions under their belt (2014, 2015 and 2016) comes into the competition with a strong squad. Xu Xin and Shang Kun are very capable of securing 3 points for the team which will give them no problem for qualifying to the next stage. However a relatively less competitive no.3 player may put the team in disadvantage when Team Shanghai plays against strong teams like Beijing and PLA in the next stage. Joining them in Group A is Team Hebei with Liang Jingkun who is capable of pulling down the 'Big Four' at 2016 CTTSL and Cui Qinglei, an experienced and resilient athlete on the team. Team Henan has been preparing for the Games seriously for the entire year. With not many star players on the team, they manage to earn a few spots in men's singles and men's doubles at the Games so we should not under estimate their ability of bringing some surprising results, especially from Ren Hao, Yu Heyi and Niu Guankai.
Intense competitions are expected in Group B. Team Shandong, the men's team runner-up at 2016 Chinese Nationals, has a pretty decent lineup on paper but the body condition of the team members is a huge question mark. Zhang Jike the core of the team has not been at his best shape since Rio. He lost to non-Chinese players in WTTC and China Open this year and has left us the impression that he will be not far from retirement. The Chinese National Games will be a make-it-or-break-it moment for Zhang Jike. If he finds himself still competitive among the top Chinese players at the Games, we might see him playing for one or two more seasons or else this might be a countdown match for him. Zhang Jike aside, Fang Bo withdrew from Japan Open due to a long-time wrist injury while Liu Dingshuo was reported having a back injury. Even though the team is so strong that they could end up second without having Zhang Jike playing in the semifinals and finals last year, every point matters at the Chinese National Games as each team is taking the competition seriously. We will see whether the team members restore their health in time to play their best at the Games. Team Guangdong is a contender of qualifying to the next stage. Formed by veteran also coach of Team Guangdong, Zhang Chao and athletes of the Marvellous 12 Lin Gaoyuan and Zhou Qihao, the team will be looking to challenge the other top teams. Team Heilongjiang is kind of an underdog with not many outstanding titles on their resume but they qualify to this stage with seven 3-0 clean sweep. Yu Ziyang and Xu Yingbin shone and got their name out there in the prelims. Hopefully they will maintain that winning momentum in the main draw.
Group C is relatively a less competitive pool. Team Jiangsu and Team Sichuan will have a very high chance of making to the next stage with not many challenges but anything beyond quarterfinals will be a bonus to them.
It is the best of times; it is the worst of times when 2 very strong teams are drawn into the same pool. The top 2 spots in Group D are almost designated to Team PLA starring Fan Zhendong, Zhou Yu, Xu Chenhao and Zhou Kai and Team Beijing with Ma Long, Yan An and Wang Chuqin on the team. The up side is we will get to see some exciting competition in stage 1 and possibly an encore in the finals if the teams manage to go all the way and meet at the finals. On the other hand, it may be the most unwanted draw to Team Tianjin which wanted to play more matches at their home soil but having Team PLA and Team Beijing in the pool it is almost a mission impossible to make to the next stage.
Team PLA and Team Beijing are top of the league. They are from the same group and will be drawn to different halves of the draw if they qualify to the next stage meaning that their next encounter will only occur in finals. Team Shanghai is strong and has won national team champions in the past 3 years but with a less reliable no.3 player on the team, the pressure will be on Xu Xin and Shang Kun. Team Shandong will also have a chance of making to the podium if the team is healthy. There are some teams standout in the competition but no teams are over-arching unbeatable at Chinese National Games so it remains a very competitive field and well worth following!
Follow the Men's Team
The detailed competition schedule has announced (check the detailed schedule here). The men's team competition is scheduled on 28 August to 1 September and CCTV5 is very likely to broadcast the finals on 1 September. We will keep you updated as soon as the broadcast plan are announced.
Event Schedule (GMT+8)
Day 1: 28 August
15:00-17:30 Men's Team Stage 1 Round 1
Day 2: 29 August
10:00-12:30 Men's Team Stage 1 Round 2
19:00-21:30 Men's Team Stage 1 Round 3
Day 3: 30 August
19:00-21:30 Men's Team Quarterfinals
Day 4: 31 August
19:00-21:30 Men's Team Semifinals
Day 5: September 1
10:00-12:30 Women's / Men's Team Bronze Medal Match
19:00-22:00 Men's Team Final
Which team will be the champion-winning team? Comment below and let us know your thoughts! (anonymous comment is acceptable) For more updates, follow the blog by clicking the button on the right-hand column or check the official website of the Chinese National Games here. Last but not least, keep close to the blog for CNG Throwback and more previews!
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