WTT Champions Macao 2025...

[Albert]

In case you didn't know, this starts tonight (Monday) in a little over an hour from now at 11 pm and goes on thru Sunday: https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Matches&innerselectedTab=Scheduled&eventId=3097 [schedule for the next few days].  There will be only one table in play.  When looking at the schedule, remember that China is 12 hrs. ahead of us.  The links to the livestreams for tonight and tomorrow morning are already up at the WTT channel: https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Matches&innerselectedTab=Scheduled&eventId=3097

Here's the players' list: https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3097&innerselectedTab=Scheduled.  As you will see, 32 men & women have been invited to play this event--31 men & women and 1 man & woman from the "host association", which is Macao.  Since Zhu Yuling of Macao is already in the top 10, 2 woman from Macao will play this time around.  The top 10 men's seeds are Lin Shidong, Wang Chuqin, Harimoto Tomokazu, Hugo Calderano, Benedikt Duda (upset Calderano the last time they played), Xiang Peng, Darko Jorgic, Lin Yun-ju, Dang Qiu and Alexis Lebrun (coming back from a wrist injury--his younger brother will not play).

The top 10 women seeds are Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, Kuai Man, Wang Yidi, Harimoto Miwa, Zhu Yuling (former world's no. 1), Chen Yi, Itoh Mima and Ohdo Satsuki.

Penholders...  Only on the men's side this week--Dang Qiu and Xue Fei.

Pips-out players...  Only on the women's side this week--Itoh Mima (short pips/bh), Yuan Jianan (short pips/fh), Han Ying (chopper), Liu Yangzi (short pips/bh), her Aussie nat'l teammate, Jee Min-hyung (medium pips/bh) and then Sreeja Akula (long pips/bh) who will play in the very 1st match of the night vs. Zhu Yuling at 11 pm.

Americans...  Only 3 this week--the US no. 1 man & woman, Kanak Jha and Lily Zhang, and the PR no. 1 woman, Adriana Diaz.  Adri plays match no. 3 tonight just after midnight vs. Sofia Polcanova.  Adri has beaten her before so one would expect her to win again tonight.

Lily plays tomorrow night just after midnight vs. Chen Xingtong--a tough match.  I think Lily has to remember that she's a counterpuncher.  She needs to try to anticipate where the attack will go and then try to counter it--with a block or chopblock, or punch or flip or sideswipe or smash or a counterloop or a lob.  Don't worry about the quality--just get the ball back on the table somehow

Then Kanak plays 2-3 hrs. later (after 3 am) vs. Dang Qiu whom he took out in spectacular fashion last month.  You know Qiu is going to be looking for revenge for that loss and Kanak is going to have to back it up with another win.  And things don't get any easier for him if he wins bc, in the next round, he gets the winner of An Jae-hyun - Hugo Calderano.  I think Hugo will win that one, so Kanak is going to have his hands full if he makes the next round.  I'm not totally sure, but I think if Kanak can somehow make the quarterfinals, he might earn enough points to make the top-20 again--for the 2nd time in his career.  You might remember that the last time he got that high in the rankings it was due to a ratings adjustment that happened while he was on suspension.  This time, though, he can make the top-20 by his own efforts, which will no doubt feel a lot better to him this time around.

As for the TT schedule coming up, WTT Feeder Istanbul is scheduled to start at 2:30 am this Thurday morning.  And again the Champions Macao ends this Sunday and then 2 wks. later everyone will be back in China for the China Smash & China Youth Smash which start on the 24th for us.  More on this to follow