10 men's team and 10 women's team will go through a total of 18 rounds of competition in a double round-robin basis this winter to compete for the title of 2017 CTTSL For non-Chinese fans, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the CTTSL as there are many unheard but outstanding athletes competing in the league. So this article is to ease you into the world of Chinese table tennis and know more about each team in 2017 CTTSL.
1. Bayi Dashang -- The Defending Champion
In some ways, not much has changed with the defending champion as powerful as ever. The center of the team will undoubtedly be Fan Zhendong, the MVP at 2016 CTTSL, is very capable of winning 2 points in the singles for the team. However in order to win the CTTSL title, they will need to be a team with more solid players like Zhou Yu who had won some crucial matches for the team in singles and doubles at 2016 CTTSL. This year Zhou Yu will be teaming up with a new partner Zhou Kai in doubles for most of the matches as his former doubles partner Xu Chenhao has transferred to Shenzhen Baoan this year. The 3 players are pretty much lock for the line-up while Song Xu and Zhao Zhaoyan, who are less experienced but still part of the champion-winning team from last year, can fill up the gaps whenever needed. If the new doubles partnership works, Bayi Dashang, the defending champion, is the one to beat.
2. Shandong Weiqiao -- Strong Even Without Ma Long
Shandong Weiqiao ranked first after stage 1 (17 won, 1 loss) at 2016 CTTSL. Despite the team was knocked out by Bazhou Hairun in stage 2 and missed the finals, their results had proved they were one of the best teams at 2016 CTTSL. The good news for the team is that there will be no stage 2 this year, whoever wins the most matches after 18 rounds will walk away with the title. While the bad news is their anchor of the team, Ma Long has transferred to Tianjin Quanjian, due to the policies of CTTA to even out the depth of each team. I think Shandong Weiqiao is still a leading contender in the league even without Ma Long. Lin Gaoyuan, the Asian Cup winner, has improved quite a lot in 2017 and will take the leading role of the team. Yan An and Xue Fei are 2 other strong members from the squad of last year. They used to pair up with Lin Gaoyuan in the doubles but with Lin Gaoyuan playing 2 singles this year, they has been trying out to pair up with Xia Yizheng, quarterfinalists of men's singles at 2017 National Games, in the doubles in the first 2 round of competition. The team has also introduced a young and promising player from Hong Kong, Ng Pak Nam. What makes Shandong Weiqiao strong is that they have the room to play around with the line-up. If the new doubles partnership turn out unsatisfying, they can switch back to last year's combination and win the matches.
3. Shanghai Zhongxing -- The 3-Man-Band
As compare to other teams, it is going to be tight for Shanghai Zhongxing as the team just managed to have enough people on the team. However there is still hope. The team has one of the Big 4, Xu Xin, who played the third most number of matches at 2016 CTTSL and led the team to make top 4 at 2016 CTTSL. Zhao Zihao is another member of last year's squad. He is a dynamic penholder who helped team Shanghai to win the team champion at 2017 National Games with Xu Xin and Shang Kun. Yet Shanghai Zhongxing is missing their outstanding doubles, Jeoung Young-Sik and Shang Kun as Jeoung Young-Sik is not competing at 2017 CTTSL and Shang Kun has transferred to Shandong Luneng. Joining the team this year is veteran Cui Qinglei, who won the 2017 Asian Championships men's team champion with the team. I would say the absence of Shang Kun would affect Shanghai Zhongxing quite significantly but it may be a good opportunity for Zhao Zihao to gain more experience and take more responsibility in the league. There is also a young provincial member, Sun Zheng, showing up in the arena but I think Shanghai Zhongxing will not put him on the line-up unless they run out of players at 2017 CTTSL.
4. Bazhou Hairun -- Young Team With Good Prospects
Bazhou Hairun was the only team without the Big 4 to make the top 4 at 2016 CTTSL. They ended up 2nd under the leadership of Liang Jingkun who won over 3 of the Big 4 (as Zhang Jike did not compete at 2016 CTTSL) in the league. This year Liang Jingkun and post-00s Wang Chuqin will be leading a younger team with 'Y2Klub' members Yu Heyi, Niu Guankai and Sai Linwei. CTTSL has always been a stage for young athletes to prove themselves as the travelling and jam-packed competition schedule can always be a problem for older athletes who take more time to recover and have more international competition assignments. It is a good chance to get to know more about the future generation of Chinese table tennis players by following Bazhou Hairun. I believe the team can make the top 6 with the possibility of ending up in top 4 pending on the performances from other team and how much potential they could show in the league.
5. Tianjin Quanjian -- Champion Goes To Whichever Team Ma Long Belongs To?
There is a saying that whichever team has Ma Long, could they earn CTTSL champion as Ma Long has won the most CTTSL champion among the current male players. Tianjin Quanjian was never a favorite in the league but with the introduction of Ma Long, the team has the potential for a placement in top 4 this year. Apart from Ma Long you may want to keep an eye on Ma Te. He is currently the best defender in China. We might not have the chance to see him in international competitions but he is exciting to watch as he is the master of switching from chops to loops in a rally. The match between him and Joo Sae-Hyuk at 2016 CTTSL is one of the classics (watch it here). Another young player might catch your attention could be Liu Dingshuo. He has put some great matches at T2 APAC and Swedish Open recently and stands out when it comes to counter-loop. Tianjin Quanjian is also trying out their new doubles combination among Liu Dingshuo, Fang Yinchi and Cheng Jingqi. The latter 2 players are former national team members and are quite experienced at CTTSL. Without a doubt, Ma Long is the star of the team but I believe the other players could prove their capability out of his shadow.
6. Shandong Luneng -- The Team To Break The 'Ma Long Myth'
If a team was judged by how good they are able to defeat Ma Long, Shandong Luneng should be among the best teams. In 2017, the team introduced Shang Kun, who won over Ma Long in 2015 Japan Open, Liu Jikang, who defeated Ma Long at 2016 CTTSL (watch it here),and a promising post-00s player Xu Yingbin. The new players combining with Fang Bo, who had a 7-game match against Ma Long in 2015 World Championships final, and veteran Zhang Chao, make it a solid team with good potential even they might not have a quintessential star on the team. At last year's CTTSL, Shandong Luneng came in 5th and missed stage 2 by a fraction of a point but they are the one within striking distance of the top 4 this year.
7. Shenzhen Baoan -- The Dark Horse
Thumbs up to the new look of Shenzhen Baoan! Last year Shenzhen Baoan ended up 6th place which was a satisfying result considering that the team had no big names. Their overall competitiveness has improved slightly this year after the addition of Hao Shuai, Xu Chenhao and Li Yijie while Ren Hao and Lyu Xiang remain to be part of the team. Among the 6 players, I would say Xu Chenhao who was part of the champion-winning team in 2016 is the one to watch. He has a lot of personality on court and his backhand is quite powerful when it is his day but he can be quite inconsistent as well. Hao Shuai the 'papa' of the team is apparently not at his peak but seeing the way experienced players use their experience playing smartly rather than pure power in the match is simply engaging. Ren Hao and penholder Zheng Peifeng may be internationally less experienced but they are capable of creating problems for some more-heard Chinese players. I think the best-case-scenario is the team securing the 6th place in 2017 CTTSL but winning a title is very unlikely.
8. Anhui Langkun -- An Olympic-Champion Coach
Anhui Langkun was the second last team in 2016 CTTSL but they are determined to climb up the rankings this year. As the team has introduced 2 young players Zhu Cheng and Xi Sheng (placed 2nd at 2017 Chinese A-Leagues in men's singles) but what makes it more striking is their new coach Chen Qi, the 2004 Men's Doubles Olympic Champion.Other than that not much has changed to the team. Yu Ziyang and Zhou Qihao will take a crucial part in carrying the team for a better placement and Liu Yi the defender will serve as a secret weapon and creating problems for those who are not keen on playing against choppers. I believe their goal would be finishing in the top 6 but there will be tough competitions not only the top 4 teams from last year but from potentially Shenzhen, Sichuan and Jiangsu.
9. Sichuaun Changhong -- The Made-In-Sichuan Silver Medalists
When most clubs tend to introduce top notch players to play for the club in CTTSL, Sichuan Changhong has all its members from the Sichuan team who won the historic silver medal at 2017 Chinese National Games. However this is a richly diverse team (in playing style and experience)with Xu Ruifeng the big brother of the team,Zhu Linfeng (left-handed short-pips) and Lai Jiaxin the 2017 Universiade team gold medalists, Yan Sheng the penholder who uses pips-out rubber on his forehand and Kuang Li a post-00 who has just made to the Chinese National B Team this October. I never have high hopes on this team but watching Yan Sheng playing penhold with such an unique style and pairing up with Xu Ruifeng in doubles can make my day. The team settled for the last place in 2016 CTTSL but who knows whether the silver medal would be a confident boost and move them up the ranks?
10. Jiangsu Zhongchao -- A Big Young Team
Among the 10 men's teams, Jiangsu Zhongchao has the most number of players on the squad but most of them are inexperienced young athletes. Dimitrij Ovtcharov for sure is not in the list of the 'inexperienced young' athletes but he is competing in the Champion League and did not play in CTTSL in the first 2 rounds. This leaves to Zhang Yudong, Yang Shuo, Sun Wen, Cai Wei and Kong Lingxuan to step up to the plate. These players may not be comparable to the top players but Zhang Yudong and Yang Shuo are 2 promising players who can put up some exciting rallies in the match.
I am sorry that I have not made new post recently because I have underestimate the changes and the workload of writing this article. I hope this introduction will give you a better idea who is on the team and enjoy 2017 CTTSL. Check out our 2017 CTTSL Guide that provides you an ‘All-You-Need-To-Know’ information kit including the history, past champions, competition format and full schedule / line-up about the League. The introduction of the women's team is coming up. So stay tuned and let us know which team you think could win the champion!
Really an impressive feat to put together an article like this, and a fantastic overview for those of us looking at the CTTSL "from the outside". Will be especially interesting to follow Bazhou Hairun, seeing as the pressure is building on the younger generation to step up to the plate as three of the big 4 are getting older.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the prospects for Zhang Jike as a professional player are? I'm getting the feeling that we will gradually see less and less of him, both in and outside of China. But at the same time, he seems to be very important for the CNT, especially from a public relations-perspective.
Thank you Magnus! I have written an article about the women's teams too and I believe you have read that already. I hope you enjoy that as well. I have also changed the way of previewing each round of CTTSL. Let me know whether preview in paragraph or point-form is more preferable.
ReplyDeleteHere is a long comment about my thoughts on Zhang Jike.
I think Zhang Jike is going down slope. No offense at all, but judging from his performance in international competitions, he is nowhere near his peak. I believe professional athletes have times that they decline after their peak due to aging and injuries. It is tough for the athletes and their supporters but we should be grateful that we have witnessed the best of him in the past 10 years.
I share the your thoughts that Zhang Jike may not show up that frequent in international competitions in the future, after all the CNT needs to put the younger generation and ones who are more competitive into test and prepare them for the Olympics. Zhang Jike mentioned after Rio that he would not retire in near future, at least till the 2017 National Games (as he needs to compete for the provincial team he belongs to in return to the years of support). I believe he will gradually fade out and the first sign might be reflected in the roster of 2018 Men's Team World Cup if he misses that (The nominative line-up at this moment is Ma Long, Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan).
However we cannot speak of his absence in CTTSL and sub-par performance in international competitions in the same breath. Zhang had some disputes with his club in 2015 and did not have many chances to compete in 2015 season. He did not compete in 2016 because of his back injury, the tight schedule did not favor his recover and worried about his mediocre performance did not deserve the high salary given by the club. There are no details about 2017 CTTSL athletes transferal but Shandong Luneng (the club that Zhang Jike belongs to) has abundant athletes while other clubs may not be willing to pay the expensive transferal fee and salary (mostly because of Zhang's reputation and status in the table tennis world) to introduce Zhang Jike to their club because of his uncertain body condition and competitiveness. Therefore there are other factors that contribute to the absence of Zhang Jike in CTTSL and I think if he does not retire, he will be playing in Chinese Nationals for his provincial team.
The CNT has a great tradition that experienced players passing down their experience and knowledge about table tennis to the next generation. I think this is one of the reason why Zhang is still in the national team with much respect. Even he may not repeat his Olympic success in the next few years, he will get behind the team to ensure CNT brings home gold again.
Zhang Jike has appeared in many reality shows and advertisement. I think it is because the market sees Zhang Jike's commercial value and would like to work with him. In some ways, Zhang Jike is an icon to get people to learn more about table tennis. However I think what makes table tennis shines is about the sport, the skill, the passion, the character and the quality of the match and the sportsmanship. The development of the sport, in a long run, should not be relying on 'Fan Economy' but the charisma of table tennis itself.
I hope this comment is not too long for you to read and I appreciate your comments. Every time when I see your comments, it is like a recognition of my work on this blog and it's a motivation for me to keep on writing articles on this blog. By the way, would you like to talk more about table tennis in Sweden? Moregard had an impressive Junior World Championships just now. I am looking forward to seeing what he can put up in the world of table tennis!