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Wow! Now NYTableTennis has a reporter on site! And you're just in time for the Main Draw Ceremony which starts 30 mins. from now!
How's the weather? Is it hotter than NYC? Up here it's in the mid-80s today
And they're practicing in a tent outside in 100 degree heat? That's insane!
Well, I guess the doors should open just before 12 pm down there. There's a potentially interesting match on table 3 starting around that time--Lilian Bardet (sounds like "li-li-AWN bar-DAY") of France vs. little Lee Seung-soo, the boy-wonder of South Korea. I think Bardet will win that match, but Lee could make it close, assuming he's not too jetlagged... He was in Uzbekistan just a coupla days back...
Giulia Takahashi vs. Irene Yeoh: https://youtu.be/sa6-WcPUPcQ?t=10389 [full match]. Takahashi is ranked 77th in the world and is the Brazilian no. 2 woman behind her older sister, Bruna, who is ranked 19th. Irene is ranked 526th in the world and is the US no. 11 woman and the US no. 2 U-15 cadet (age 14).
Ma Jinbao just got thumped by Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, but, afterwards, the umpire walked up to him and handed him the "lucky loser form". He just needs to sign that and hand it over to someone at the control desk and they'll plug him in somewhere in the main draw. So, I'm curious, Dan, if you're reading this, is that what you're doing down there--working at the control desk?
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Well, anyway, I assume he still wants to play, so he will turn that form in to the control desk. So, even though he lost in the qualis, they made him a lucky loser, so he's still alive and will play in the main draw
Irene Yeoh lost earlier today to Ayhika Mukherjee of India. She just couldn't read those wobbly balls coming off Mukherjee's anti-spin rubber. I wonder if they made her a lucky loser, too? I guess we'll find out in a little bit...
Wait, another question, Dan... Have you heard any "grumbling" from the players about the conditions? I'm seeing a lot of slippage. I saw one match where whenever the player stomped on the carpet, water would seap up from underneath it. Some of the players are livid about that and they've been arguing with the umpires
Oh, Anna Hursey just lost her match and they handed her a lucky loser form, so she'll be in the main draw, as well.
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So, it looks like all the losers tonight will be "lucky losers." Sean Zhang's next match is scheduled for 9 pm down there (midnight up here). He plays Joao Geraldo (almost sounds like "joan jay-RAL-do") on table 2. But they're behind schedule on table 2... Anyway, he'll probably be more relaxed if he knows that, even if he loses, he will advance to the main draw anyway
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I didn't click the link, but I think I know who it was. It was Wang Yang, the chopper from Slovakia. He got pissed and slammed the table, bc the umpire had just faulted his serve for the 3rd time. Funny--he was cursing in Spanish, instead of Chinese. And then the referee came up and gave him a red card and threw him out of him out of the tournament (for damaging the table). I don't remember the last time I saw that
I noticed that there's been a lot of yelling and screaming from the players the last few days. I think it's the amount of prize money. That puts a lot of pressure on the players, bc losing a match means losing a lot of money
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So, I'm wondering how this "lucky loser" thing works, bc every loser last night got a lucky loser form. So, do they put all the names in a hat and pick one and make that person the lucky loser?
Yes, some Americans are in action today... Jessica Reyes-Lai takes on Filippa Bergand on table 3 at 4:40 pm (our time). I think Jessica has a chance in that match... Then Adriana Diaz, the PR no. 1 woman, takes on Kim Nayeong on table 1, the TV table, at 5:50 pm. Then, as you mentioned, Bosman Botha/Amy Wang face Eduard Ionescu/Berni Szocs in the next match on table 1--scheduled for 6:25 pm. They are playing one match after the other so, some matches might start before their scheduled time.
Then Nandan Naresh/Sally Moyland face off against Liam Pitchford and Anna, Dragoness of Wales at 9 pm tonight. Then, a heartbreaker, Lily Zhang has to play her frenemy, Amy Wang, on table 1 at 9:35 pm. I'm really disappointed that they got matched up together yet again. Lily was at the Draw Ceremony and, though she put on a smiley face, she was disappointed, too. She's gotten the short end of the stick the last few times she & Amy have played...
And, then, the last match on the TV Table will be Kanak Jha vs. Lee Sang-soo. That's gonna be a tough one. Lee is deceptively fast and has an excellent bh loopkill.
And, a whole lot of other matches will be intriguing, as well. So, today is going to be a great day of TT!
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I splurged on platinum seats for 1 session. Attached are some pics
What about Jessica Reyes-Lai! She squeaked out a win vs. Filippa Bergand--at deuce in the 5th. Coming into the match, I did not expect her the win, though I thought she had a chance. Congratulations goes to Coach Gao! She's the one who put Jessica over the edge
Adriana Diaz is next on the TV Table and Anders Lind is next on table 2. Both tables are behind schedule
Watching Sun match now. Thanx for the pix!
I'm watching the Anders Lind match and I see Chairman Wang Liqin in the VIP section
The big match from yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZdpYwGdXm4 [Lilian Bardet of France vs. Liang Jingkun of China]. Liang Jingkun is ranked 5th in the world and Lilian Bardet, 85th. The French Men's Team is, however, 2nd in the world behind the Chinese. So, going forward, we will perhaps see more French upsets of the top Chinese.
A few more close matches...
1. Kanak vs. Lee Sang-su: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WymEP4luQmA
2. Amy vs. Lily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LltxCVSMGfs. It was sad to watch this. Both of them are the top 2 Americans and the faces of USA TT, but I get the sense that they will both announce their retirements soon--mainly due to moments like this. Anyhow, in the next round, Amy has to play Yuan Jianan, the short-pips-on-the-fh attacker from France (by way of China). The last time Lily played her, she won. Maybe Amy should talk to Lily about that match, if she's in the mood to talk. If not, then Amy & Coach Gao should review this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScMz21CUAFk [full match]. That was last year and now Yuan is a little better--she's turning the corner faster to force an fh attack with the short pips. Yuan upset Berni Szocs last night and it was the serve and the short pips attack that won her the match, in my opinion. I believe the thinking in Lily's & Yuan's match last year was for Lily to go after Yuan's inconsistent bh, but occasionally hit to the fh to force Yuan to think twice about turning the corner and attacking with the pips. Maybe that tactic can work again this time around?
3. Nandan Naresh/Sally Moyland vs. Liam Pitchford/Anna Hursey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFNFRB3nVpY
American matches today... Most will played on the TV table at the Maverick Arena...
1. Bosman Botha/Liang Jishan vs. Benedikt Duda/Dang Qiu--TV table at 3:30 pm
2. Sean Zhang vs. An Jae-hyun--table 3 at 5:30 pm
3. Nandan Naresh vs. Dima Ovtcharov--TV Table at 5:50 pm
4. Sid Naresh vs. Harimoto Tomokazu--TV table at 10:45 pm
5. Sally Moyland vs. Jieni Shao--TV table at 11:20 pm
6. Liang Jishan vs. Baldwin Chan/Chan Ho Wah of HK--table 3 at midnight
If you are noticing a lot of inconsistency in the play of most of the players, it's because Las Vegas is 2000 ft. above sea-level, so they're playing at altitude. I like the fact that, this time around, the TT commentators are talking about this as commentators do in the sport of tennis. It's instructive in that you can use discussions like this to show that the top players are essentially amateur physicists and, to get to the top of the Game, you must have some understanding of the laws of physics as they apply to TT.
Take "spin" for example. You often hear people say "that was backspin" or "that had a lot of topspin on it." Statements like that are imprecise and misleading to people who are learning how to play the Game. If you look at a ball flying thru the air in super slow motion, you will see that it is spinning in two directions at once--vertically (topspin or backspin) and horizontally (clockwise (right-spinning) or counterclockwise (left-spinning)). So, when people are discussing spin, saying "backspin" or "topspin" is not good enough. You should say "top counter-clockwise spin" or "back clockwise spin" etc.
In my humble opinion, part of the reason people have difficulty playing against pips-out/anti-spin players is bc of "spin reversal"--the main feature of those rubbers. They reverse the spin in both directions--both horizontal and vertical spin--to various degrees. So, when a ball that has been struck with pips-out/anti-spin comes back to you, even if you know which "vertical spin" is on the ball, if you don't know what "horizontal spin" is on the ball, you will approach the ball with the wrong racket angle and mis-hit it.
China vs. the World...
1. Lin Gaoyuan vs. Alvaro Robles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmyQm0Dtnyg
2. Zhou Qihao vs. Quadri Aruna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJm11Q--efU
3. Lin Shidong vs. Thibault Poret: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=040t5nKz9qg
Today's schedule: https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Matches&innerselectedTab=Scheduled&eventId=3082
For me, the big match today is Amy vs. Yuan Jianan of France--at 4:40 pm in the Maverick Arena--where the TV table is located. Even though Yuan is the higher-ranked player, that's a very winnable match for Amy
Oh, if, by chance, any of you would prefer to watch foreign broadcasts of this, go here to find the list of foreign channels: https://www.worldtabletennis.com/livevideo [and then click CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR REGIONAL BROADCASTER]
The 2 men's semifinals were the matches of the tournament so far--China vs. the World, again...
1. Wang Chuqin vs. Felix Lebrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaK5AWc7rJ4 [highlights--this was the better semi in my opinion]
2. Lin Shidong vs. Harimoto Tomokazu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1lietVFIF0 [highlights]
I hope Hugo Calderano, down in Brazil, was watching these matches as these are the 4 guys he will most likely meet in the later rounds. I'm a little surprised that Lin Shidong is the world's no. 1 (especially after hearing Harimoto is 5-1 against him) as Wang Chuqin, in my mind, is the most cerebral player in the Game right now. Hugo really needs to spend a whole lot of time analyzing his game and "meditating" on how he's going to play in his next match against him, bc, in my humble opinion, Wang's just on a higher level then the rest of the field
Hugo should probably buy a small notebook and carry it around with him everywhere he goes so he can write down ideas on how he's going to play his next matches whenever those ideas come. And I think the same goes for his gf, Bruna Takahashi. I think if they both do this, they will improve their "mental game" as it will help them organize their thoughts. Both of them have already made history for Brazil and South America, but to go to the next level, they have to do something extra
Anyhow, this event ends tonight with the women's & men's singles final, which start at 9 pm and 10 pm, respectively. After that, the next events in the WTT schedule will be WTT Contender Lagos [Nigeria] and WTT Contender Buenos Aires [Argentina], both starting on Tuesday of next week. Then there's the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguasu [Brazil] starting on July 29th. Hugo Calderano has signed up to play both of the South American events
And, as I look further down the event list, the WTT will be back in the US next month, namely at the WTT Feeder Spokane [Washington] which will be a two-part series starting on Aug. 5th and ending on the 12th. Amy Wang has signed up for both part 1 and 2. I love watching Amy play--I just wish she were in a place where she could put 100% of her attention on the Game. Well, perhaps 70% is more realistic... Anyhow, if she were able to be more focused on the Game, she would truly be great. More on all to follow
Yes, a massive move for Zhu Yuling, the former world's no. 1. She looks like she still has enough game to become the world's no. 1 again, but, according to this video, she is no longer eligible to play in the majors anymore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWnG7wfCuQ
I'm a little confused by that, bc I was under the impression that the ITTF had changed that rule recently. Does anybody know if what's said in the video is true or not?
This vid points a button on the inaugural US Smash--the Highlights Show/US Smash 2025: