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| Photo: Sina |
The headline for this year's Marvellous 12 was Fan Zhendong's and Chen Meng crowned champion at the 2019 Marvellous 12 AND booked their place to the singles' event at the 2019 World Championships held from 21-28 April in Budapest, Hungary. The runner-up of the event, Liang Jingkun and Sun Yingsha will also represent China at the 2019 WTTC but the specific event(s) they are going to take part in is yet to be confirmed. If you want the full results and all the brief notes for each session, be sure to read our previous article.
In our preview, we noted that the Marvellous 12 was going to be unpredictable because these athletes are on a level competition field. It turns out 6 men tied for the 4th place and had to apply a tie-breaker while the runner-up for the women had to be determined at the very last round. These tell how intense the competitions were.
Source: Tencent Sport
What Happened at 2019 Marvellous 12
National team member, Liu Dingshuo who was also the commentator of some sessions said the most exciting match usually ends up to be a 5-game thriller (when GO5 is in play). It was so true that most of the matches on the following list are, in fact, played at full stretch. So, here you go, the matches I personally think you should have watched and are critical to the final standings. Although there are always more matches that I would like to include on the list, I try to keep it short and avoid turning this into another full results article.
Men
A. Fan Zhendong's Domination Or Not Quite
Despite Fan Zhendong's clean sweep, competition on the men's field had not gone one-sided. The 2019 Marvellous 12 opening match was played between winners of 2017 Marvellous 12. Fan Zhendong had a decent start, leading 2-0 games but Lin Gaoyuan began game 3 with a few awesome backhand flicks which gave him a short-lived lead. Lin took game 3 with a 2-point edge playing variations in his receives. Lin won game 4 with speed and more variations in serves and ball placement. Game 5 was a close call but Fan was better off when it came to counters.
Watch: Fan Zhendong 3-2 Lin Gaoyuan
More challenges to come for Fan Zhendong on day 2. Xue Fei's reverse penhold backhand and strong counter loops (esp. in game 3 & 4) put Fan Zhendong at a hard time. The two players were tied at 2 games each. In game 5, Fan made a comeback trailing 5-9 behind and maintain his winning streak.
Watch: Fan Zhendong 3-2 Xue Fei (don't miss the RPB reverse chop block at 7-5 in game 5)
The battle of 1 million RMB prize was staged on day 3. The match between Fan Zhendong and Liang Jingkun may not be as intense as we imagined but it meant so much to both players.
Watch: Fan Zhendong 3-0 Liang Jingkun
We thought the match between Fan Zhendong and Yan An would be quite straight forward as the result would not change Fan's leading position but it was proved wrong in the last round. Fan struggled with Yan's speed and quick change of placement. It was a sensational seesaw match and Fan won all matches from start to finish.
Watch: Fan Zhendong 3-2 Yan An
B. Can Liang Jingkun Deliver
Liang Jingkun came in the tournament as a strong contender. He is the reigning national men's singles champion and the most-valued player of the 2018 CTTSL. He is capable of winning, the matter is can he deliver. He had an incredible start at the meet and remained unbeaten until round 9, which he lost 3-0 to Fan Zhendong. However after he had locked a spot on the World Championships squad, he lost 2-3 in the last 2 rounds. Be it exhaustion after rounds of intense competition or fluctuation in his mental game, we hope he will deliver a consistent performance in Budapest this April.
In round 7, Liang Jingkun blew a 6-0 lead in game 2, the stats tell Lin Gaoyuan was better off in the counters, Liang tried to make the game short in the decider avoiding long rallies against Lin and it worked for him.
Watch: Liang Jingkun 3-2 Lin Gaoyuan
People tend to go all out when there is nothing to lose. So did Xu Chenhao but not Liang Jingkun. Liang was a bit less aggressive in this match which was a stark difference to his opponent. That being said, it was not a good game for Liang but a very close match overall.
Watch: Liang Jingkun 2-3 Xu Chenhao
C. Xu Xin's Game of Wisdom
Xu Xin used to excel in Chinese Trials but perhaps the round robin competition was too demanding for him. We did not see that much agile footwork from him, instead, he played more soft touches and controls in the matches, especially those since day 2 when he taped his left knee heavily. In spite of that, it is great to see Xu Xin has more confidence and consistency in his backhand and played wisely in the matches. It doesn't matter he did not conquer the top of the leader board as long as he knows how to play smartly in bad body condition would be good enough for him.
Watch: Xu Xin 3-2 Lin Gaoyuan
Women
A. Chen Meng the Comeback Queen
Chen Meng has shown a huge improvement in the last year. Her forehand is more aggressive and she has worked on her consistency as well. In addition to that, she made several epic comebacks in the tournament and I wonder is that a sign of maturity in her mental game. If I have to pick one match from the Marvellous 12, the match between Chen Meng and Wang Manyu has to be the best of the tournament. Chen lost game 1 with a 10-4 lead. She came back from 0-2 game behind playing more backhand down the line to Wang's wide forehand. She also saves several match points in the 5th game decider to win the match.
Watch: Chen Meng 3-2 Wang Manyu
Chen Meng made another comeback on the same day in the match against Sun Yingsha from a 0-2 deficit. Chen saved 3 game points by going for wide angles and control the ball placement instead of fighting against the speed of Sun in game 4, which is definitely the turning point of the match.
Watch: Chen Meng 3-2 Sun Yingsha
B. Sun Yingsha On The Rise
Sun Yingsha shared the same number of victory but since she won 3-0 over Ding Ning, it puts her ahead of the grand-slam winner making the top 2 finishing at her Marvellous 12 debut! What an incredible start for the 18-year-old. In that match, Ding Ning showed a sign of fatigue in the evening session of day 2 and fell short from catching up with Sun Yingsha's speed. She lost 0-3 but the numbers fail to show the intensity of the match. I would say it was an enjoyable match to watch, especially game 3 when the rallies were getting wild.
Watch: Sun Yingsha 3-0 Ding Ning
C. Ding Ning Fought Strong
Ding Ning just missed out the top 2 finishing but she did great overall in the tournament. In fact, she is the only person to win over Chen Meng at the Marvellous 12. The match between them was both brains and brawn. Chen Meng played a bit faster and more aggressive while Ding Ning's persistence and ability to reading the competition and controlling the and ball placement and pace of the competition is second to none. Although the points were mostly topspin counters, the variations in the ball placements, strategically setting up those wide-angle shots, are just enjoyable to watch (awesome save in game 3 at 9-5).
Watch: Ding Ning 3-2 Chen Meng
The match between Ding Ning and Zhu Yuling was a highlight of the meet. Both players are known for their versatility and you will never get bored watching them play. The match was intensified in game 5 which Ding Ning showed great tactics, for example at 8-5 the way Ding Ning recovered from a wide forehand was amazing.
Watch: Ding Ning 3-2 Zhu Yuling
D. Wang Manyu Gave Away Chances On Last Day
Wang Manyu had a major chance to earn the ticket to 2019 WTTC. She took down Liu Shiwen, Sun Yingsha and Ding Ning heading to the last session with 7 wins and 2 losses placing third. However, an unexpected 2-3 loss to pips player Sun Mingyang and another 2-3 loss to Chen Xingtong had shocked her out of contention. These might be the price to success but we still see Wang has a bright future ahead. I am talking about how she recovered from the disappointing Chen Meng's epic comeback in the match against Ding Ning who also levelled the game from 0-2 down. Ding Ning struggled to catch up with Wang's speed and missed quite a lot of points on the wide forehand in the first 2 games. However the grand-slam winner would not let go easily, she played more shots to the middle and wide forehand to win back game 3 and 4. You MUST watch every point from game 4. It is spectacular. Although you were denied a lot of rallies and aggressive step around forehand if you choose to watch game 4 instead of the entire match. Wang started off game 5 with an aggressive forehand down the line which put her in a comfortable 8-0 lead and did not let history repeat. She won 11-2 in game 5.
Must-Watch: Wang Manyu 3-2 Ding Ning
As mentioned above, if Wang Manyu has shortcomings, it might have to fall on her middle forehand and wide forehand. Sun Mingyang and Chen Xingtong seized the opportunity and had a tough fight against Wang Manyu.
Watch: Sun Mingyang 3-2 Wang Manyu
Watch: Chen Xingtong 3-2 Wang Manyu
E. Liu Shiwen Long Road of Improvement
Finishing fifth might not be a satisfying result for Liu Shiwen who won 2017 Marvellous 12 with an undefeated record. On the other hand, it was better to spot out problems earlier than later as she still has time to work on those problems before the big meets (I think Liu Shiwen may compete at the World Championships, at least in the mixed doubles partnering Xu Xin). If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
Her first match at the meet started off super close, winning 3-2 over Zhu Yuling. The 5th game was breath-taking in particular, her 2 shovel serves at 8-8 and 10-10 were crucial to her victory.
Watch: Liu Shiwen 3-2 Zhu Yuling
Liu Shiwen is known for her speed but she struggled when the players of the young generation can also play speedy rallies. Chen Xingtong dominated the first 2 games with speed and angles out of reach. Liu Shiwen played more backhand down the line to Chen Xingtong's wide forehand and recovered from 0-2 down. Liu Shiwen was in the zone and led the rhythm of game 5.
Watch: Liu Shiwen 3-2 Chen Xingtong
F. Wang Yidi The The Dark Horse
One of the biggest surprises here is Wang Yidi as she upset several frontrunners on the last 2 days, keeping the final standings more suspenseful. Wang Yidi has an aggressive and agile backhand making her opponents struggled to return those fast and furious wide angle shots.
Watch: Wang Yidi 3-2 Ding Ning
Watch: Wang Yidi 3-2 Sun Yingsha
The participants at the Marvellous 12 showed us they are incredible athletes. After all, their level of skills is why they are the Marvellous 12. They reminded us of the spirit to fight to the very end. Fan Zhendong went all out in every match, even when he had secured the first place. Chen Meng fought back from the devastating 0-2 deficit. Win or lose the players at the Marvellous 12 are incredible and it's always a pleasure to share about them. There were 264 matches played at the Marvellous 12, 176 matches were aired online and only 19 of them are included on this list. Apparently, the list is just showing a tip of an iceberg. In other words, you can find more amazing matches in our full results article which includes links to watch the replays of every match streamed online, the full results and brief notes for each session. You don't have to know table tennis to love it. The people, the skill, the passion will draw you into the world of table tennis.
Comment below and let us know your thoughts on the articles, the Marvellous 12 and anything you would like to tell us.
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