Chinese Herald News Jedi reversal! Fan Zhendong, win!
On the evening of August 1, Beijing time, in the men's singles 1/4 finals of the Paris Olympics, national table tennis player Fan Zhendong reversed Japanese table tennis player Tomokazu Zhang 4-3, with a score of 2-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7. Fan Zhendong will face Felex Lebrun in the semi-finals.
On the evening of August 1, in the quarterfinals of the men's singles table tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics, No. 2 seed Fan Zhendong defeated Tomokazu Zhang 4-3 and advanced to the semifinals.
Zhang Benzhihe and Fan Zhendong are old rivals, the top seed of national table tennis Wang Chuqin in the first round, the burden of winning the national table tennis men's singles championship fell on Fan Zhendong, Fan Zhendong is currently the fourth in the world, and Zhang Benzhihe is the ninth in the world. Fan Zhendong has only dropped one game in his previous three games: 4-0 Yaroslav, 4-1 Huang Zhenting, and 4-0 Jaha. Fan Zhendong's psychological pressure is still quite high.
After falling behind in the first two games, before the start of the third game, Fan Zhendong temporarily left the court to change a jersey. The narrator said: The mentality of remembering the Rio Olympics has been adjusted.
In the 6th game, Fan Zhendong tied it, and the two sides tied 3-3, and when the game was suspended, coach Wang Hao asked Fan Zhendong to believe in himself.
In the deciding game, Fan Zhendong led 2-0 at the beginning, Zhang Benzhi and a rubbing side 1-2, Zhang Benzhi and a wave of 3 points directly overtaken, Fan Zhendong scored 3 points in a row, Fan Zhendong led 6-4, Zhang Ben scored 2 points 6-6 draw, and then 7-7, Fan Zhendong scored two key points 9-7, Fan Zhendong 10-7 match points, and finally won 11-7. Wang Hao was full of tears.
After the game, Tomokazu Zhang posted on his personal social media: "I made the most of these three years. Even if I give everything I have, it's not enough. So far, I have not qualified to be a singles medal winner or champion. I had no choice but to make the next four years worthy of the championship. Frustrating, but all that's left is to finish the team race! Togami, Shinozuka and Team Japan will give it their all! ”
In Japan, after the Fan Zhendong vs Tomokazu Zhangmoto, Japanese media reports quickly appeared on Yahoo's Japan Home: "Tomokazu Zhang lost in the desperate struggle with the king of the world and failed to enter the semifinals... The historic victory over China's Fan Zhendong was just around the corner, but it was still lost after the seven-game battle, and Zhang Benzhihe was dumbfounded.
Tomokazu Zhang was interviewed after the game, with tears in his eyes, saying, "No matter how exciting the game is, it's very regretful to lose." "I can say that I played 100 percent, and it turns out that I still can't win against him." "But I still enjoyed the fight to the fullest, playing like this with the favourites and I should be able to win a medal next time I try harder. I still want to come back to this stage after 4 years. ”
Japan netizens commented: "It's amazing to be able to force the Olympic king to this extent." Judging from the past results, among China's many strong opponents, perhaps this set of matchups is Zhang Ben's chance, I originally expected that if Zhang Ben could enter the zone state and play crazy any ball, he could go on the stage, and there was a hope of winning. Unexpectedly, after the game started, what I saw was calmness, relying on skills and tactics, and relying on strength to fight against Fan Zhendong, which was really great. If they win, the Chinese players will be eliminated, and it is a good opportunity to win the gold medal. Because of this, it's a pity. ”
"Zhang Ben is strong, but Fan Zhendong is stronger. After Wang Chuqin was eliminated, once Fan Zhendong lost, it will make the first men's singles unlicensed stain in the history of Chinese table tennis. This is KING! But then again, Zhang Ben obviously had an overwhelming advantage at the beginning of the game, so it was a pity. If you win, you can hope to win the championship! ”
"Absolutely, this game. Zhang Ben won two games in a row, but the king of the world will not bow his head so easily. In the last two or three points of the decisive game, Fan Zhendong's attack made me feel that he deserved to be the king of the world. Zhang Ben is only one step away, and this experience should be valuable in 4 years. Looking forward to the wonderful performance of the team competition. ”
"It's a shame, but it was so good that I forgot to breathe. I've never watched a table tennis match so devotively. I used to be very proud, and I didn't like him at first, but he gradually grew in character, and before I knew it, I became a fan of him. In terms of age, there is still hope for the next session, come on. ”