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| Photo: ITTF |
As the 2018 Team World Cup is approaching, this Throwback Thursday will be revisiting some exciting moments from the previous Team World Cup along with a short preview of the 2018 Team World Cup which will be held from 22-25 February in London. Enjoy!
The team event is always fun because there is always a second chance of winning another match and make a comeback even losing the first or two matches. There are several team competitions that table tennis fans look forward to. The World Championships, obviously, as well as the continental championships. One such competition comes up a bit different is the Team World Cup at which a maximum of 1 doubles and 4 singles will be played in a team match whereas the other team competitions, except the Olympic Games, are usually played on the New Swaythling Cup system, 5 singles maximum in a team match.
The Team World Cup was first held in 1990 and was relaunched in 2007 to try out the 2008 Olympic Team format. The 2018 Team World Cup is the 11th edition of the Team World Cup with 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams competing for the title. Although some strong teams tend to keep their ace back home to prepare for other more important competitions, such as the World Championships, and some rather put up a young team to put their younger generation to the test, the Team World Cup has always been a good opportunity for us to learn the overall strength (in both singles and doubles) of each team and, perhaps, seeing a wider variety of countries featuring on the podium.
Throwbacks
The Chinese come out on the top of the medal table. Of the 10 Team World Cup, the Chinese men's team has won 8 titles and 9 for the women but the competitions are never as one-sided as we would imagine.
1. The Pre-2007
The first Team World Cup men's finals was an intense one between the Swedes and the Chinese. The Swedish men's team comprised of Jan Ove-Waldner, Jorgen Persson and Mikael Appelgern was the superpower in the table tennis world while the Chinese men were experiencing a weaker squad after the retirement of Jiang Jialiang. Chen Zhibin and Chen Longcan won over Jorgen Persson and Jan Ove-Waldner respectively putting the Chinese at a comfortable 2-0 lead but the Chinese lost the remaining 3 matches and fell short from winning the champion at the first Team World Cup in 1990.
At the following 2 Team World Cup, the men's team finals were again a battle between the Swedes and the Chinese but it was the Chinese on the top of the podium. It is worth noting that the 1994 Team World Cup clashed the 1994 Asian Cup. As a result, the Chinese team sent their strongest squad to the Asian Cup and the promising young players to the Team World Cup. Liu Guoliang secured 2 points for the team in the finals against the Swedish men's team and won the 1994 Team World Cup champion with Ding Song, Lin Zhigang, Wang Hao (the chopper, not the penholder) and Qin Zhijian. The Chinese women's team lost 2-3 to Team Germany in the semifinals and settled for third at the 1994 Team World Cup. Among the bronze-medal-winning team is Zhang Ling, the mother of Harimoto Tomokazu who is the youngest member of the Japanese World Cup Team.
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| Photo: 快乐乒乓 1994 Team World Cup Champion (men's team) |
2007 Men's Team Finals -- Ma Lin / Wang Hao Vs Ko Lai Chak / Leung Chu Yan
Let's fast forward to 2007, one year before the 2008 Olympic Games when the team event was first introduced into the Games. Each team had sent out its strongest team to try out the new team format which would be in play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Chinese team dominated the competition but faced some challenges in the doubles match in the men's team finals.
Ko Lai Chak played amazingly well in the finals. His precise ball placement and confusing serves had put the Hong Kong duo into a 4-0 lead in the first game. It is pretty clear that Ko Lai Chak and Leung Chu Yan had great camaraderie while Wang Hao and Ma Lin were not quite on the same page in game 1. The Hong Kong pairs had everything under their control, on the other hand, the Chinese pairs could not make some quality attack as they had to chase down the wide angles. The Chinese pairs took the initiatives to take control in the next few games but Ko Lai Chak was experienced enough to place the ball in a difficult position for the Chinese to win points. He also made some incredible follow-ups like the ones at 12:44 and 18:56 as well as Leung Chu Yan at 19:44. In game 4, the Chinese pairs seemed to find the loopholes of the Hong Kong duo, as you might have it right, the backhand of the penholders. The Chinese pairs deliberately made shots to the backhand side of the Hong Kong players to play big shots from the less quality return. When the Hong Kong players were putting more focus on their backhand, a steal on the forehand side worked as well as the previous tactics. This put the 2 pairs 2-2 at peace. The Hong Kong pairs had a close call of winning the decisive match as they led 7-1 but perhaps they thought they had half of the victory in their pocket or were a bit too relaxed with the huge lead, the Chinese did not let go with any opportunities to close up the gap and had an extraordinary comeback winning 11-9 and secured the team champion with an overall 3-0 victory.
3. An Uncharacteristic Defeat
2013 Men's Team Finals -- Zhang Jike Vs Chen Chien-An
Since the relaunch of the Team World Cup in 2007, the Chinese have been so dominant that losing 1 point in a team match could be ended up a 'shocking defeat' on the headline. The more recent one that people still recall from time to time is the men's team final in 2013 Team World Cup where the grand-slam winner (Olympic, World and World Cup men's singles champion) Zhang Jike lost 2-3 to Chen Chien-An from Chinese Taipei after 5 games.
I won't say this match is a great match played by both players as both had a number of unforced errors here and there but it is a significant one which Chen Chien-An caught the attention of the Chinese national team and the audience around the world. Unlike the match mentioned above, this match has more counter rallies while less short pushes and variations near the net because both players heavily relied on the backhand flick technique. If I have to select a highlight of the match, it would be in game 7 when Zhang Jike attempted to make his way back from a 1-7 deficit. Those rallies reminded us the Zhang Jike we used to know. Despite the great shots, the gap was too large for Zhang to turn that into a victory and Chen Chien-An did not hold back at the last few points starting from 9-6 in the last game.
4. Exciting Encounters
2015 Women's Team Quarterfinals -- Singapore Vs Hong Kong
The Team World Cup is not just about Team China going back home with gold medals but exciting team matches among other strong teams. For example the women's team quarterfinals at 2015 Team World Cup where Singapore and Hong Kong were neck and neck. I would recommend you to revisit the match between Lee Ho Ching and Yu Mengyu at 7:40 and Doo Hoi Kem and Feng Tianwei at 1:30:00. Although the score of these matches ended at 3-0 they were an intense match which many fascinating rallies were played. These players are competing at the 2018 Team World Cup and are very likely play against each other this year.
5. A Glimpse of the Secret Team
2015 Women's Team Final -- China Vs DPR. Korea
Apart from the more-heard athletes, the Team World Cup is a stage for the less-known teams to make their names on the international scene. One should not forget the challenges that the DPR. Korea Team had posted on the Chinese in the women's team final in 2015. Had the DPR. Korea had more international experience, they could flare up the competition.
First up in the team match was Ri Mi Gyong and Liu Shiwen. Ri Mi Gyong is a very persistent player. She could always loop the ball back to the other side and her wide angles were tough to return. Her style had given Liu Shiwen a tough time. As a result, Liu Shiwen won the match with a 2-point margin after 5 games. Next up was a match between renowned defender Ri Myong Sun and Zhu Yuling. Zhu Yuling was not quite used to the pace and spin of Ri and lost the first game. Zhu Yuling was more prepared for Ri Myong Sun's attack in game 6 and game 7 and secured the second point for Team China. The doubles match was not a see-saw match but it was intense especially in game 2 and game 3. The DPR. Korean pairs were like an unbreakable wall returning every ball to the opposite side regardless of the strength and speed but Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen were a cut above and won home the team title. None of the runner-up team members will be competing at the 2018 Team World Cup but Kim Song I, the women's singles bronze medalist at Rio is a well-known player with more international exposure on the 2018 DPR. Korea Team.
2018 Team World Cup Preview
I would like to state a few points about the 2018 Team World Cup.
1. It is the first international team competition since the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
2. It is held around 2 months before the 2018 World Team Championships.
3. A new playing system is adopted with the doubles match being the first match in a team match in contrast to having the doubles in the third match in the past.
4. As always the competition consists of 2 stages, group stage and the knockout stage.
These few points imply 2018 Team World Cup is a chance to see how each team is up to in the middle of the 2020 Olympic cycle and a warm-up for the upcoming World Team Championships in this April. The new playing system emphasizes the importance of the doubles competition as it will set the tone for the entire team match. It also re-arranges the competition order of players avoiding breaks in team events and making the no.1 player of each team to encounter in the second match of the team match but not at the fourth match of the team match under the old playing system. This makes the team competition even more exciting to watch. And these are the reasons for you to follow the 2018 Team World Cup closely.
Some may wonder how is 2018 Team World Cup different from the 2018 World Team Championships held a few months later. The brief explanation is that the Team World Cup requires teams to have a pair of strong doubles and a few solid singles while the World Team Championships focus on the 5 singles only. Therefore teams with a strong pair will have an advantage in the Team World Cup. However, some teams take the World Team Championships more seriously and did not send their strongest squad to the Team World Cup. Therefore I anticipate some traditionally less established team may surprise us here in London (Team World Cup).
The Draw
Men's Team
Group A: China, Sweden, France
Group B: Japan, England, Egypt
Group C: Germany, Korea, Australia
Group D: Hong Kong, Brazil, USA
Women's Team
Group A: Japan, Egypt, USA
Group B: China, Brazil, DPRK
Group C: Hong Kong, Singapore, England
Group D: Chinese Taipei, Romania, Australia
It's quite obvious that the Chinese team, both the men and women, are looking to defending their title as they have sent their strongest squad to the Team World Cup and I believe they are very capable of walking away with the title under their belt. The matter is whether they will take this opportunity to put their young players to the test, especially the men's team. It may be surprising to many who have not followed the Chinese news lately that 20-year-old Yu Ziyang makes the World Cup Team. He won an internal U21 trial to earn his ticket to London but his international results are not convincing enough by the Chinese standard as he bowed out in the preliminary round of men's singles at the 2018 Hungarian Open. The door is slightly open as Yu Ziyang won men's doubles champion with Fan Zhendong at the same tournament. Could that earn him a chance to play in the doubles with Fan Zhendong in the group stage? If that does not happen, it is not likely Yu Ziyang will play in the knockout stage which matches are more critical.
The Chinese women's team seems to have a wider option on the lineup as the young team members Chen Xingtong and Wang Manyu who earned their spot in the internal trials have a consistent international record and can be solid players on the team. However, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen were reported dealing with some small injuries after a demanding CTTSL season. My concern for the Chinese women's team is their doubles. Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen are the reigning women's doubles world champion and have no doubts one of the strongest women's doubles in the tournament but the other 3 members do not compete for doubles together that often. It could be a challenge for them when they encounter teams with strong doubles such as Team Hong Kong and Japan.
Beyond Team China, the Japanese have the odds for silver. Despite the top player from the Japanese men's team Jun Mizutani sits out the competition, the team has its newly crowned national champion Harimoto Tomokazu and a creative player Koki Niwa who can play unpredictable shots. The other members of the team are Yuya Oshima and Uede Jin. To my surprise, the team did not bring strong doubles to the Team World Cup. Perhaps gaining international experience and building up the team is the more important goals to them at the Team World Cup.
Whereas the lineup of the Japanese women's team is the best they can put up at this moment. The team is consists of the highest ranked Japanese player Kasumi Ishikawa, 2018 Japanese National Champion Ito Mima, 2017 Asian Championships champion Miu Hirano and 2017 Grand World Tour Finals women's doubles finalist (with Ito Mima) Hina Hayata. The team is strong at both the singles and doubles and had a great shot of making to the finals.
For the men's field, Hong Kong is close behind with a strong doubles Wong Chun Ting and Ho Kwan Kit, veteran Jiang Tianyi and promising young stars Ng Pak Nam and Lam Siu Hang on the team and then you also have Korea (with Lee Sangsu, Jeong Sangeun, Lim Jonghoon and Jeoung Youngsik) super capable of sneaking in as a contender. While Germany and France have their top players sitting out the Team World Cup, meaning that these team will not be at their full potential but are capable of ending in the top 8. Last but not least, we should never count out the home team, Team England, which made a historic third-place finish at the 2016 World Team Championships.
The third place is wide open in the women's field but I do think Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei will end up in the top 4, especially Team Hong Kong's doubles Lee Ho Ching and Doo Hoi Kem is a very competitive pair. Other than that, I would love to see DPR. Korea, the finalist in 2015, making the top 8 as well as Singapore (with Feng Tianwei, Yu Mengyu and a few young players Zhang Wanling and Yee Herng Hwee on the team) and, perhaps, Romania, the 2017 women's team European champion. I am super excited to see Ho Tin-Tin from the home team, England. I remember Transworld Sport did an introduction about the penhold prospect years ago and I could not wait to see her performance on the international scene. However, I am not sure if England could pull off a spot at the top 8 (to the knockout stage) without some surprising victory or miracles in London.
So this is my quick take on the past and the upcoming Team World Cup, however, as we know anything can happen in table tennis. Let's sit back and relax!
Past Medalists
Thanks for checking in. Follow the competition at ITTF or watch it on ITTV. For those who understand Chinese may want to follow the coverage on Zhibo TV as Liu Guoliang will be commenting the matches on 24 and 25 February! Shout out your thoughts in the comments below and be sure follow the blog.
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