Wang Manyu is in jeopardy, Chen Meng has regained confidence, who will win the singles spot?
The competition for the singles quota of the national table tennis women's team in the Paris Olympics has entered a white-hot stage. In the last Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, Chen Meng defeated Japan's three main forces with his outstanding performance, overtook Wang Manyu in one fell swoop, and temporarily ranked second in the Olympic selection. Wang Manyu, on the other hand, lost to India's Batra at a critical moment and suffered Waterloo. Now, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha are very hopeful of winning the two singles spots, and Wang Manyu's Olympic dream is in jeopardy.
For the 25-year-old Wang Manyu, this is undoubtedly a heavy blow. Throughout the Paris Olympic cycle, her performance was quite good, and she has won many singles championships such as the National Games, the World Table Tennis Championships, and the Asian Championships, second only to Sun Yingsha in the team. Chen Meng only won two singles championships in this cycle, and his form is obviously inferior to Wang Manyu. From the perspective of age, Wang Manyu also has more advantages than the 30-year-old Chen Meng, and the training value is higher.
However, fate is such a trick on people, a defeat, Wang Manyu's three years of hard work in vain. At last year's Asian Championships, the head coach of national table tennis Li Falcon said that young athletes like Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha were needed to fly together to win glory for the country. Unexpectedly, Wang Manyu is now facing the danger of being marginalized, which is really regrettable.
Looking back on this cycle, Wang Manyu's downturn actually began in 2020. She lost to Ito and failed to find a chance for revenge for a long time, which led to a decline in the coaching staff's trust in her. What's more critical is that she failed to qualify for the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships that year, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow.
Wang Manyu slumped after that defeat and has never fully recovered from his form. Chen Meng's performance is rising. At last year's Asian Championships, she defeated Misei Ito to avenge herself, and then defeated Wang Manyu at the World Table Tennis Championships to win the singles championship. This undoubtedly regained Chen Meng's confidence, and she began to vindicate that she would take revenge on Hina Hayada at the Paris Olympics.
Chen Meng's sudden outburst undoubtedly brought new problems to the national table tennis coaching staff. Judging from the comparison of strength, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu are equal, and it makes sense who is selected for singles. However, from the perspective of age and training value, Wang Manyu obviously has more advantages. If she misses the Olympics, it will be fatal for her.
On the other hand, Chen Meng, as a "special soldier" in the team, occupies an important position in the doubles event. Her partner Sun Yingsha has won the championship many times, and the two are known as "a match made in heaven". If Chen Meng qualifies for singles, she will face the double pressure of singles and doubles, and her physical and mental burden will increase.
Judging from the current situation, Sun Yingsha's singles and doubles quota is a certainty. Whether the remaining singles spot is reserved for Chen Meng or Wang Manyu, the coaching staff must think twice.
Regardless of the final outcome, this civil war will be raging at a fever pitch. The strength of the three is equal, and none of them wants to give up easily. In the last few World Tour tournaments, they have encountered many times, and they are secretly competing on and off the court.
For example, at the Qatar Open last month, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng met in the semifinals, and after seven rounds of fierce battles, Wang Manyu finally won the championship by defeating Chen Meng. After the game, although Chen Meng congratulated his opponent, he could not hide his disappointment in his eyes.
In the subsequent Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, Chen Meng completed the counterattack. She first defeated Sun Yingsha in the semifinals, and then defeated Wang Manyu in the final. This time, Chen Meng had a confident smile on his face as he held the trophy high.
Judging from the current situation, none of the three is sure that they will qualify for the Olympic singles. Everything will be divided in the final World Tour tournament that is coming. At that time, the national table tennis coaching staff will also make a final decision based on the results of this competition.
It will be a battle of dragons and tigers, and it remains to be seen who will win the throne in the end.