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| Photo: WTTC 2018 Halmstad |
It was a long 4 days of group stage competition, so I decided to throw a group stage recap half-way through the competition instead of making a super long recap at the very end of the Championships. So here we go!
Women's Team
Most predictions have the Asian teams, China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea or Hong Kong as the teams with the best shot of qualifying for the knockout stage and the teams alongside with Singapore, Russia, Austria, Ukraine, DPRK and Germany advance to the knock-out stage.
What about the podium? I'd say China and Japan are pretty secure in the first 2 podium spots. They are the finalists of the 2016 World Championships and 2018 Team World Cup and have won every match in the group stage. Well, the Chinese did lose 1 point in the match against Singapore which Wang Manyu lost 1-3 to Feng Tianwei. However, I think it is just a sign of inexperience for Wang Manyu and it's not a chaos for Team China at all. The door for the third spot on the podium is pretty wide open, I believe Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and DPRK are the ones to watch but other teams that make to the knockout stage are some of the top teams in the world and have the odds of making a shot to the podium as well.
Teams qualify for quarterfinals: China, Japan, Romania, Korea
Teams qualify for the round of 16:
Singapore, Russia, Austria, Ukraine, DPRK, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Germany
Full results are available on ITTF.
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| Photo: ITTF |
I think Group A is the most exciting group to follow. Not only does it has the defending champion China, the home team Sweden, but teams with diverse and unconventional playing styles and the dark horse of the Championships. It turned out China came first unsurprisingly, Singapore second and Russia third. While the home team fell short from advancing to the next stage after losing 2-3 to Russia.
WT-Group A - Match 1: Batra Manika (IND) Vs Wang Manyu (CHN)
It happens that the intensity of a tournament escalates as it proceeds but competitions at World Championships got since day 1 of the competition. China took their first match seriously by studying their opponents' performance at the Commonwealth Games days before the Championships begun as they have to play against the reigning 2018 Commonwealth team champion, India. The Chinese coaches deliberately put 19-year-old Wang Manyu to the test and arrange her to play against the top player on the Indian team Batra Manika, who beat Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu at the Commonwealth Games and clinched the women's singles title. Batra Manika plays in attack style with long-pips on her backhand and inverted on her forehand. The variations of spins and rhythm produced by her backhand her aggressive forehand smash posed some troubles on Wang Manyu. However, Wang Manyu was calm enough to adapt to the unconventional playing style and win 3-0 in the match.
WT-Group A - Match 2: Singapore Vs Sweden
Same on day 1, the home team, Sweden, put up a 5-match thriller in the match against Singapore. Matilda Ekholm lit the atmosphere of the day winning two 3-2 over Yu Mengyu and Feng Tianwei. It was not a bad day for the Singaporean players but Matilda Ekholm was even better with a little bit of help from the home crowd cheering (I wish I were there as it would be an enjoyable experience watching the competition with a very knowledgeable crowd). Her backhand flip with extra side spin helped her a lot in the rallies. The home team fell short of winning. They lost 2-3 because of the lack of depth in the pool but it was a good game for Sweden as they have shown the crowd their capabilities, especially the Swedish defender Linda Bergstrom. Her consistency in her chopping technique has given me a deep impression.
Same on day 1, the home team, Sweden, put up a 5-match thriller in the match against Singapore. Matilda Ekholm lit the atmosphere of the day winning two 3-2 over Yu Mengyu and Feng Tianwei. It was not a bad day for the Singaporean players but Matilda Ekholm was even better with a little bit of help from the home crowd cheering (I wish I were there as it would be an enjoyable experience watching the competition with a very knowledgeable crowd). Her backhand flip with extra side spin helped her a lot in the rallies. The home team fell short of winning. They lost 2-3 because of the lack of depth in the pool but it was a good game for Sweden as they have shown the crowd their capabilities, especially the Swedish defender Linda Bergstrom. Her consistency in her chopping technique has given me a deep impression.
WT-Group A - Match 8: Singapore Vs India
Sweet revenge for Singapore as they made a clean sweep over India, the team which beat them a month ago at the Commonwealth Games. However, that's not to say it's not without difficulties. Yu Mengyu from Singapore had a tough 5-game match against Batra Manika. It seems that she had a hard time reading the spins but she managed to avoid this problem in the deciding 5th game by playing more to Batra Manika's forehand so that returns would not be coming from the long-pips rubber of Batra Manika's backhand. As a result, she won 3-2 over Batra Manika. What a revenge for Yu Mengyu and the Singapore team.
Sweet revenge for Singapore as they made a clean sweep over India, the team which beat them a month ago at the Commonwealth Games. However, that's not to say it's not without difficulties. Yu Mengyu from Singapore had a tough 5-game match against Batra Manika. It seems that she had a hard time reading the spins but she managed to avoid this problem in the deciding 5th game by playing more to Batra Manika's forehand so that returns would not be coming from the long-pips rubber of Batra Manika's backhand. As a result, she won 3-2 over Batra Manika. What a revenge for Yu Mengyu and the Singapore team.
WT-Group A - Match 10: Feng Tianwei (SGP) Vs Wang Manyu (CHN)
For the ones who have followed table tennis for a while, you must have heard of the historic victory made by the Singapore women's team at 2010 World Championships where they won over China and claimed the World team champion. It was Feng Tianwei, the Chinese native who has represented the Singaporean team since 2007, secured 2 points for the team beating Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning in 2010. 8 years later in Halmstad, Sweden, the 2 teams encountered in the group stage. According to the interview of coach Li Sun, the Chinese national team coaches planned to have Wang Manyu playing against Feng Tianwei months ago when the team was undergoing the closed-door training. As the coaches thought it would be a great opportunity for Wang Manyu to learn and become more mature in matches under challenges and immense pressure.
Wang Manyu paid the price for being inexperienced. Her backhand was powerful and aggressive as usual and that gave her a decent lead in game 1. Yet, Feng Tianwei adjusted her strategy in the following 3 games. She took the initiative to play step around forehand attacks and deliberately reduced having backhand counters with Wang Manyu. They deuce game 2, 3 and 4 where Wang Manyu left the door open in her returns. As a result, Feng Tianwei made a comeback with a 3-1 victory. Coach Li Sun mentioned in the post-match interviewed that Feng Tianwei was using her shortcomings to play against Wang Manyu's weaknesses. He assured that Wang Manyu's techniques are great but her inexperience is the main reason for the loss. Yet, he believes the loss is a valuable experience for Wang Manyu to learn from.
WT-Group A - Match 11: Russia Vs Sweden
Sweden's last hope for qualifying to the next stage lies in the match against Russia. First up, was the match between 2 aggressive defenders, Linda Bergstrom from Sweden and Polina Mikhailova from Russia. It was no ordinary match between defenders but an exciting combination of chops and attacks. Polina Mikhailova ended up to be the more consistent and aggressive player and won 3-1 in the first match.
Group B: Japan Tops Without Losing, Ukraine Sneaks Through Next Stage
Japan and Austria look stronger than other teams in Group B, leaving the third qualification for the remaining teams to compete. Competitions in Group B is not as exciting as the other groups. But if I had to recommend a match from Group B, it has to be the match between the best 2 teams in the group, Japan and Austria.
WT-Group B - Match 10: Japan Vs Austria
Apparently, the overall strength of Japan edged out Austria, and it reflects on Japan's 3-0 victory over Austria. However, there were some incredible rallies in this match. The Austrian girls did well in the match but it seems that the improvements of the Japanese are even more significant, especially their persistence in counters and the ability to cover wide angles. Therefore, the results may tell it was a one-sided match but a lot of effort and great performance have simply not reflected in the numbers.
Group C: Surprising First for Romania, Injuries Halted Netherlands Qualifying
For the ones who have followed table tennis for a while, you must have heard of the historic victory made by the Singapore women's team at 2010 World Championships where they won over China and claimed the World team champion. It was Feng Tianwei, the Chinese native who has represented the Singaporean team since 2007, secured 2 points for the team beating Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning in 2010. 8 years later in Halmstad, Sweden, the 2 teams encountered in the group stage. According to the interview of coach Li Sun, the Chinese national team coaches planned to have Wang Manyu playing against Feng Tianwei months ago when the team was undergoing the closed-door training. As the coaches thought it would be a great opportunity for Wang Manyu to learn and become more mature in matches under challenges and immense pressure.
Wang Manyu paid the price for being inexperienced. Her backhand was powerful and aggressive as usual and that gave her a decent lead in game 1. Yet, Feng Tianwei adjusted her strategy in the following 3 games. She took the initiative to play step around forehand attacks and deliberately reduced having backhand counters with Wang Manyu. They deuce game 2, 3 and 4 where Wang Manyu left the door open in her returns. As a result, Feng Tianwei made a comeback with a 3-1 victory. Coach Li Sun mentioned in the post-match interviewed that Feng Tianwei was using her shortcomings to play against Wang Manyu's weaknesses. He assured that Wang Manyu's techniques are great but her inexperience is the main reason for the loss. Yet, he believes the loss is a valuable experience for Wang Manyu to learn from.
WT-Group A - Match 11: Russia Vs Sweden
Sweden's last hope for qualifying to the next stage lies in the match against Russia. First up, was the match between 2 aggressive defenders, Linda Bergstrom from Sweden and Polina Mikhailova from Russia. It was no ordinary match between defenders but an exciting combination of chops and attacks. Polina Mikhailova ended up to be the more consistent and aggressive player and won 3-1 in the first match.
The second match was played between Matilda Ekholm from Sweden and Yana Noskova from Russia. Game 1, started with a mind-blowing double-edge-ball rally that favoured Matilda Ekholm in the first point and she carried the lead to the end of game 1 at 11-9. Yet, Matilda Ekholm got a bit emotional after hitting her hand on the table during the first point of game 2. The devastation continued in the entire game, leading to a devastating 0-11 loss for Matilda Ekholm. Fortunately, she regained her composure and her spinny loops helped her to win 3-2. Although Matilda Ekholm once again won 2 points for the team, the lack of depth is a problem for Sweden and they lost 2-3 to Russia.
Group B: Japan Tops Without Losing, Ukraine Sneaks Through Next Stage
Japan and Austria look stronger than other teams in Group B, leaving the third qualification for the remaining teams to compete. Competitions in Group B is not as exciting as the other groups. But if I had to recommend a match from Group B, it has to be the match between the best 2 teams in the group, Japan and Austria.
WT-Group B - Match 10: Japan Vs Austria
Apparently, the overall strength of Japan edged out Austria, and it reflects on Japan's 3-0 victory over Austria. However, there were some incredible rallies in this match. The Austrian girls did well in the match but it seems that the improvements of the Japanese are even more significant, especially their persistence in counters and the ability to cover wide angles. Therefore, the results may tell it was a one-sided match but a lot of effort and great performance have simply not reflected in the numbers.
Group C: Surprising First for Romania, Injuries Halted Netherlands Qualifying
I would say Group C is the most unpredictable group. There is the mysterious DPR. Korea Team, which rarely shows up in international competitions and Romania, Chinese Taipei, the Netherlands and Poland battle for the spots in the knockout stage which is an epic one, like one we haven't seen in years. On the last day of group stage competitions, DPRK and Romania battle for qualifying first while Chinese Taipei almost missed out the next round. I did not expect Chinese Taipei would have such a hard time to qualify for the next stage. Perhaps this is a sign of the European teams have gotten stronger.
WT-Group C - Match 10: Romania Vs Chinese Taipei
Tthe 2017 European team champion, Romania, qualify first in Group C and won 3-0 over Chinese Taipei, the bronze medalist of 2016 World Championships. Throwing it back to 2 months ago, Chinese Taipei beat Romania 3-1 at the 2018 Team World Cup in London. Perhaps, Team Romania have learnt their lesson and studied the Chinese Taipei team thoroughly before coming to Halmstad. (more about the match in London read: Recap: 2018 Team World Cup). I am amazed by how the results can be so much different in 2 months time. After all, the ball is round.
Watch: https://tv.ittf.com//video/cheng-i-ching-samara-elizabeta/1199235
Watch: https://tv.ittf.com//video/chen-szu-yu-szocs-bernadette/1199237
WT-Group C - Match 14: Romania Vs DPRK
The last round of the group stage is also the decider of which team will become the winner of the group and qualify for the quarterfinals. Elizabeta Samara won 3-1 over Kim Song I, the women's singles bronze medalist at 2016 Rio Olympics and booked a spot in the quarterfinals for Romania.
Group D: Korea Finish First, Hong Kong & Germany Trail Behind
There are fewer surprises in Group D. However, I am quite impressed by Jeon Jihee from Korea and Soo Wai Yam from Hong Kong. Although it was their first time to play at the World Team Championships, both players show maturity and their capabilities in the group stage competitions.
WT-Group D - Match 5: Germany Vs Korea
One of the most intense match in Group D was played between Germany and Korea. Jeon Jikee secured 2 points for the team and the Korean chopper, Seo Hyowon won 3-2 over the German attacker Sabine Winter.
WT-Group D - Match 10: Hong Kong Vs Korea
The match between Hong Kong and Korea was not as intense as the match mentioned above but there was some drama in the third match. A controversy (quite obviously a misjudgment from my point of view) at 9-8 in the decider 5th game of the third match had broken the rhythm of the competition as well as upset Team Hong Kong and their supporters. Kudos to Hong Kong's rising star, Soo Wai Yam, who stayed calm and won the crucial match 17-15 over Yoo Eunchong from Korea.
Although the controversy did not affect Hong Kong from winning the third match this time, athletes should not pay the cost of mistakes made by the umpires as it should be ITTF's responsibility to provide high-quality competitions. Audience and players will support and enjoy table tennis competitions only if the competitions are fair and professionally judged. With many other sports are enjoying the benefits brought by technology and science, technological innovaton should be considered in table tennis to enhance the entire competition experience.
Draw for Knockout Stage
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| Photo: ITTF |
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