The final chapter of the WTT China Grand Slam is a bit embarrassing, and new hopes are brewing. In the overwhelming cheers of the audience, the veteran Ma Long lost 3-4 to the national table tennis star Lin Shidong. In the on-site host's question session, the Dragon team specially "supported" Lin Shidong: "In the last few competitions, everyone can see Lin Shidong's performance, and the Chinese team actually has many such young outstanding athletes who deserve everyone's attention. ”
If Ma Long wins this final, the only "double Grand Slam" winner in men's table tennis will win the first men's singles title at the highest level of WTT, and successfully complete his championship puzzle. For the Chinese table tennis team, Lin Shidong's sharpness and fighting spirit when he won the decisive game is the most powerful response to the doubts about the echelon construction of the national table tennis men's team.
Wang Chuqin has not yet adapted to the role change
The performance of the national table tennis men's team at the Paris Olympics really made fans sweat. As one of the new generation of "twin stars" in men's singles, Wang Chuqin lost to Moregard early, and Fan Zhendong, who carried all the others, staged a thrilling reversal against Zhang Benzhihe in the quarterfinals, and finally defeated Moregard in the final. Although the glorious tradition of national table tennis has been defended, as far as the process is concerned, the "old, middle and young" pattern of the main force of the national table tennis men's team has been shaken, and whether the "troika" can continue to run at high speed in the men's singles field after the Olympic Games, leaving a huge question mark.
The 36-year-old is unlikely to play in Los Angeles again, while the 27-year-old Fan is still thinking about the future, and Wang Chuqin, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of connecting the upper and lower levels, will take on more pressure than ever. In three tournaments, including the Paris Olympics, Wang Chuqin's performance in the men's singles field has frequently caused controversy - the Olympic Games stopped in the round of 32, the Macau Championship lost to Lin Shidong and missed the final, and Beijing was knocked out by Denmark's Linde at home and missed the round of 16. Despite winning the Men's Doubles title with China's Grand Slam partner Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin still couldn't avoid the singles issue at the post-match press conference for this final. In the face of sharp questions from the media, he self-examined: "Playing in my current state, I'm sorry for myself and the country, and I'm sorry for the training of the Chinese table tennis team." ”
The "big head" who used to hide behind the Dragon Team and Brother Dong has indeed not adapted to the change of roles. Wang Hao, the head coach of the men's team, also made a new request to Wang Chuqin: "Young athletes like Wang Chuqin should take on more responsibilities in the new Olympic cycle. He has already experienced the Olympics, World Championships and other major competitions, and should be a driving force in the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. He should not be the same as before, and he will have to take on more responsibility in the core position. And now, whether the 24-year-old Wang Chuqin can carry the banner will be an important step in determining the future pattern of the national table tennis men's team.
Lin Shidong showed domineering and won respect
Just when the futures of Ma Long and Fan Zhendong have not yet been determined, and Wang Chuqin has fallen into a downturn in the singles arena, the younger generation of national table tennis stars have bloomed brightly and stepped into the fast lane of growth.
In the battle with Ma Long, Lin Shidong won three games in a row after falling behind 1-3, and the 19-year-old showed his domineering spirit on the field. Since the WTT Almaty Regular Challenger in early September, in just over a month, Lin Shidong has won in the men's singles and mixed doubles arenas. In particular, his 16 consecutive singles victories allowed him to win three men's singles championships: Almaty, Macau Championships, and China Grand Slam. In these few stops, he not only defeated Wang Chuqin and Ma Long, the main force of national table tennis, but also let Zhang Benzhihe, Lin Yunru and other foreign association masters know how powerful he is. Even Denmark's Linde, who defeated Wang Chuqin in a Chinese Grand Slam, lost convincingly after being swept by Lin Shidong. He praised the youngster's growth over the past two years: "I'm sure he's training hard every day, he's moving in the right direction, he's amazing in terms of strength. ”
Qiji thousands of miles is not a day's work. Since entering the WTT arena in 2022, Lin Shidong has often faced the test of third-line combat, and Lin Shidong, who is accustomed to high-intensity challenges, has also shown the ability to do everything in three. In just two years, Lin Shidong's singles ranking has jumped from outside the 600th to seventh in the world. Two left-handers in the national team have also become his regular doubles partners: Kuo Man/Lin Shidong won 13 WTT mixed doubles titles, and Lin Gaoyuan/Lin Shidong's men's doubles pair has also risen to the world ranking after nearly a year of cooperation. Lin Shidong is undoubtedly the focus of the future training of the national table tennis men's team.
Xiang Peng withstood the test of the "hardest" signing
Compared with Lin Shidong's edge, the introverted Xiang Peng is also worth paying attention to.
He was shortlisted for the Chinese Grand Slam with a wild card in the main event, and he drew the "hardest" draw in the men's singles. Xiang Peng, ranked only 68th in the world, defeated four foreign association players ranked higher than him along the way, especially defeating Olympic bronze medalist Felix · Lebrun in the 1/8 finals, and beating Olympic runner-up Moregard in the 1/4 finals through a 57-minute seven-game battle. "To be able to beat these top foreign players is a small breakthrough for me, this is just a competition, it doesn't mean anything." The 2003-born youngster is low-key and modest, and after losing to Lin Shidong and missing the final, Xiang Peng said, "I hope to use the valuable experience of the Chinese Grand Slam to make myself more confident in the next competition." ”
Before the Paris Olympics, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Wang Chuqin were naturally the focus of everyone's attention. Entering a new page, the Chinese youngsters who have worked hard silently have finally come to the front of the stage and have more opportunities to compete with their peers. As Ma Long said: "The reason why the Chinese team has always maintained the highest level is that there is actually a young echelon behind it, and players like Lin Shidong and Xiang Peng may become the focus of everyone's attention in the future." ”
Today, 18-year-old Felix · Lebrun, 21-year-old Tomokazu Zhangmoto, 22-year-old Moregard and other young players have been called "veterans of the flower season" by fans, who have experienced the Olympic Games, World Championships and other major competitions, and have the experience and sophistication of mature athletes. It has become an inevitable trend for the slightly "late-maturing" national table tennis players to step into the stage of higher-level events, which will undoubtedly inject new energy into the men's singles field in the future.