On January 3, Beijing time, entering the new season, the first open match of the International Table Tennis Federation in 2022 is about to start. The first WTT Open tournament is the Düsseldorf Open, the competition time is from January 12 to January 15, the open competition, set up men's singles, women's singles, women's doubles, men's doubles, mixed doubles five individual events. It is worth mentioning that the current registration has been closed, and the national table tennis players have collectively chosen to be absent.
Not only did the main players of national table tennis, Liu Shiwen, Ma Long, Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and others choose to abandon the WTT Düsseldorf Open, but Liu Guoliang's coaching team did not arrange for the second team to participate. In this open tournament, the men's singles, Germany's Duda is the top seed, he is currently ranked 43rd in the world, in addition, Portugal's Apollonia, Monteiro and others chose to participate.
In the women's singles, Chinese veteran Ni Xialian is the number one seed, ni Xialian is currently ranked 40th in the world, in addition, Serbia's Barazova, Austria's Solja, Africa Cup of Nations women's singles champion Messerif and others chose to participate. It is worth mentioning that in the just-concluded World Table Tennis Championships, 58-year-old Chinese veteran Ni Xialian successfully won the bronze medal in the women's doubles of the World Table Tennis Championships, which can be called a legend in the table tennis world.
In the women's doubles semifinals of the World Table Tennis Championships, 58-year-old veteran Ni Xialian and teammate Denat defeated the national table tennis combination Sun Yingsha Wang Manyu 0:3 on aggregate, missing the final. However, Ni Xialian has successfully reached the podium of the World Table Tennis Championships with her good results in the women's doubles final four of the World Table Tennis Championships. After 36 years of winning the World Table Tennis Championships medal again, veteran Ni Xialian has created history. After the game, Ni Xialian said that she really did not expect that after 38 years, she could still stand on the podium, which I never dreamed of.
Although she is overseas, Ni Xialian still has a hot Chinese heart. Veteran Ni Xialian said: I Chinese on behalf of us. I will always be a Chinese image, so I feel very honored and proud. Ni Xialian won the mixed doubles gold medal at the 1983 World Table Tennis Championships, as well as the gold medal in the women's team at the World Table Tennis Championships and the bronze medal in the women's doubles.
Running away for half a lifetime, but China is still in the heart, which is the best portrayal of veteran Ni Xialian. Ni Xialian not only won the praise of fans with her solid table tennis skills and tactics, her love for table tennis, optimistic attitude, and cheerful smile have always infected every table tennis enthusiast. Olympic champion Malone once praised her predecessor Ni Xialian, who still maintains such a level or competitiveness at this age, and I think this mentality is really very good.
In this regard, Olympic champion Ma Long said that he will also learn from Ni Xialian's predecessors and strive to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. Olympic champion Ma Long admitted that he needs to learn from this mentality of Ni Xialian's predecessors. Make sure you work in that direction.