The men's finals entered the third day of competition, and in the doubles, the two pairs of national table tennis pairs will take the lead. Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin lost 0-3 to Lin Gaoyuan/Lin Shidong combination, and the competition between these two pairs of national table tennis combinations is very interesting. On the whole, Lin Gaoyuan's combination speed is faster, and Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong's overall strength is better. The two pairs of national table tennis pairs have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the process of the game is particularly important.
In fact, the overall strength of these doubles combinations is about the same, depending on which pair of doubles pairs has stronger on-the-spot performance and tactical targeting ability. Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong's ability to read the game and attack are stronger, and they still have a certain psychological advantage in the face of the combination of Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong.
Especially Wang Chuqin faced Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong, whether it was in singles or doubles, there was a certain amount of offensive oppression. Lin Shidong saw through the first doubles match that he needed to strengthen his experience in the game and the decisiveness of his shots. Lin Shidong seemed to be a little slow and conservative in the game, and he did not take the initiative to attack in the first three boards.
Lin Shidong likes to retire in doubles matches, but Lin Gaoyuan stands more forward. In fact, the quality of singles cricket will decline when he retires, and Lin Shidong also needs to improve his self-confidence in doubles and singles. Lin Shidong needs the transfer of his partner Lin Gaoyuan in the game to be able to give full play to his overall strength.
Facing the German pair of Ocharov and Francesca before, Lin Shidong was more conservative and passive in the hair extension link at the beginning, so the opponent won the first game. As the game progressed, Lin Shidong gradually let go of the game under Lin Gaoyuan's active offensive mobilization, and finally reversed the score.
It can be said that Lin Gaoyuan is the core player of the doubles pair, and his performance will determine the direction of this men's singles semi-final. Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong do cooperate more tacitly, although the two pairs are left and right partners, but Wang Chuqin's combination is more solid in terms of pulling ability. And the pair is aiming for the title, and the semi-finals must be passed.
Therefore, Lin Gaoyuan's combination must be prepared for difficulties, and use more high-quality speed to impact the opponent and increase the sense of pressure to have a chance to win. The winner between these two pairs is likely to face France's Lebrun brothers in the final, which is the true championship match.
Of course, fans hope that Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong will play against the Lebrun brothers, who will only be separated in the deciding game at the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships. And the Lebrun brothers have been unconvinced to lose, and they are bent on fighting again with Fan Zhendong. This is the best chance to do so, as long as two pairs make it to the final.
This brings us to the Lebrun brothers, who will face the national table tennis pair Xiang Peng and Yuan Licen in the semi-finals. On the whole, the Yuan Licen combination has not been partnered for a long time, and there are still some run-in problems between the two sides. Xiang Peng is still mainly short and long in the receiving link, and if the receiving link is high, it is easy to be directly attacked by the Lebrun combination.
In the last round against the Hayasuke Togami combination, Xiang Peng did not have an advantage in the receiving link, and was beaten by the opponent with a score of 11-3 in a single game. Yuan Licen's twisting and pulling attack in the service link is very advantageous, and he is a left-handed player, and he has always been a doubles player that the national table tennis focuses on cultivating. Xiang Peng also said in an interview that he is only responsible for playing the connection, mainly to watch Yuan Licen's game performance.
However, against the super strong Lebrun brothers, any shortcomings in details will be quickly grasped by the opponent. After all, Yuan Licen is difficult to support alone, and Xiang Peng still has to be stronger in the receiving round. The Lebrun combination not only cooperates with the tacit service and the attack is very distinctive, but the Xiang Peng combination is estimated to adapt to the opponent's serve first.
If you can't adapt to the opponent's serve, it is easy to be directly suppressed on the first three boards, and you should also pay attention to the changes in the first three boards. It's too hard to overpower the pair without playing some deft first-three board offense. Yuan Licen had previously defeated the Lebrun combination with Ma Long, and the process was easy.
The main reason is that Ma Long's tactics are more varied, and Yuan Licen, driven by Ma Long, has exerted his doubles strength. However, Xiang Peng is not Ma Long without replaceability, this doubles match Xiang Peng combination is indeed the underdog, and the probability of being defeated by Lebrun combination is higher.
Lebrun combinations generally serve downspin balls, and the style of the serve is more varied, with a strong focus on the connection to the next board. Xiang Peng wants to avoid Lin Shidong's high serve, Lin Shidong has played against the Lebrun brothers before, and often swings short in the return link, and the result is very prominent.
Therefore, the return of the serve should still be based on the split length, and the service grabbing of the Lebrun combination can basically be invincible. Xiang Peng's play in this match was particularly important, as as long as he limited his opponent's direct attack in the return link, it would be difficult for the French pair to win. It is indeed difficult for the two pairs of national table tennis pairs to meet in the finals, and the overall strength of the Lebrun combination is indeed stronger.
This time, the coaching staff assigned the Yuan Licen combination to the bottom half of the group, just to play against the Lebrun combination, which is a good test. Yuan has been the coaching staff's focus for the next Olympic cycle, and this player will have to play against his main rivals in order to thrive quickly.
Yuan Licen performed very well in the doubles match of the Table Tennis Super League, reflecting the connection advantage of fast attack in the near Taiwan, and he is also the best successor of Wang Chuqin in the future, which is indeed worth looking forward to.