Recently, Fan Zhendong lost to teammate Wang Chuqin in an important match, and the difference between the two sides reached an astonishing 0-4. This undoubtedly shows that his current competitive form is not satisfactory. When the tournament organizers announced the draw for the men's singles round of 64 for the upcoming Doha Stars Challenge, many fans sighed, saying that Fan Zhendong's position was a "devil's schedule", and that if he wanted to advance to the final and meet his old rival Wang Chuqin again, he would need to defeat a number of extraordinarily strong players one after another.
In the past six months, Fan Zhendong's performance has indeed declined to a certain extent. With less than half a year to go until the Paris Olympics, he will have to make his way through a series of competitions in order to perform at his best. The Stars Challenge was an invaluable opportunity for him to get into the final, but his signing in the schedule meant it would be extremely difficult to beat a number of strong opponents to reach the final.
As a leader in the field of table tennis in mainland China, Fan Zhendong has always received the keen attention of the audience. His prowess and talent have long been widely recognized, but the recent unsatisfactory state of the game has left many supporters deeply worried. After all, with less than half a year to go before the opening of the Paris Olympics, he urgently needs to quickly find the ceiling of his state.
The Star Challenge is a high-profile event that brings together the world's top players, and it is an important opportunity for Fan Zhendong to hone his body and mind and regain his self-confidence. Although his luck was relatively unfavorable, it could also be seen as a serious test for him to qualify for the final. Only by overcoming many difficulties and continuing to defeat strong opponents can we achieve steady improvement in skills. It is worth mentioning that after Fan Zhendong played against an automatic bye in the first round, he will face a fierce battle with Lebrun or Francesca in the second round. Lebrun's recent assertiveness seems to have come from his upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which is a clear indication that he will be fully committed to upgrading his skills and form during this period. If against Fan Zhendong, Lebrun's quick offensive strategy is likely to be the decisive factor. In terms of past resume, Fan Zhendong also experienced a period of low competitive form in 2018, when he lost to Francesca, and if the veteran player faced Fan Zhendong again, it would undoubtedly be a serious challenge.
After successfully reaching the round of 16, Fan Zhendong may need to face South Korea's general-level player Lim Zhongxun next. In recent months, Lin Zhongxun has made a good achievement in the Korean men's table tennis arena, successfully surpassing teammate Zhang Yuzhen to become the core player of the team. Given Lim Joong-hoon's status in the team and his recent standouts, he is likely to be the main player in the men's singles event for South Korea at the Paris Olympics. Therefore, the showdown between Fan Zhendong and Lin Zhongxun is bound to have far-reaching consequences. For him, this is not just an ordinary international competition, but also an excellent opportunity for him to prepare for the Paris Olympics and get to know his potential opponents in depth.
In order to secure a leading position at the Olympics, Fan Zhendong must be cautious about every opponent, especially those who are both strong and in good form, such as Lin Zhongxun. At the same time, Fan will need to learn from his past defeats, especially this showdown with Francesca. Maybe he was too careless in that match, or maybe he wasn't in a good mental state and ended up losing the whole game. In order to avoid falling into the same dilemma again, it is important that he remains vigilant in the following competitions and continues to climb his technical and strategic level.
Mr. Lin Zhongxun's sharp and diverse ball skills undoubtedly put forward a difficult postgraduate examination for Mr. Fan Zhendong. We can foresee that, in addition to the previous events, Mr. Fan Zhendong must have repeatedly watched the video of the results of Mr. Lin Zhongxun in his opponent, carefully analyzed the weaknesses of the opponent, and put a lot of effort into achieving strategic targeting. In this tournament for the No. 8 seed, Mr. Fan Zhendong will face three strong opponents - that is, Darko, Lee Sang-so and Lin Shidong. All three athletes have distinct styles of play and have shown great competitiveness. Mr. Darko had the opportunity to play against Fan Zhendong in the men's team global finals recently, and although he lost in the end, his strength and deterrence should not be underestimated. And Mr. Lee Sang-so, who defeated Fan Zhendong in some of his earlier matches without him noticing, fully demonstrated his unique technical strength and tactical thinking. As for the relatively immature Mr. Lin Shidong, he has emerged in the international table tennis world with his swift footwork, and his quick reaction ability is undoubtedly the key guarantee for his stable foothold.
For Mr. Fan Zhendong, this round of the No. 8 seed battle is undoubtedly a huge test. He needs to thoroughly study the technical details, tactical layout and mental state of the other three opponents to find out where their weaknesses are exposed, and then formulate effective countermeasures, while at the same time, he also needs to do his best to maintain his competitive form and sanity, maintain a good level of competition, and pave the way for victory.
In addition to careful preparation of tactics and techniques, the accumulation of mental energy is also crucial. Mr. Fan Zhendong needs to keep a clear head and firm faith, not to be affected by the shadow of past failures, and not to retreat because of the pressure of the opponent's strength. He knows that every fight is a new battle, and he has to do his best to win. The semi-finals were a tough experience for him. Tomokazu Zhangmoto, Liang Jingkun and Lin Yunru are all heavyweight class experts, and their strength is far above all the competitors before the quarterfinals.
First of all, let's pay attention to Mr. Liang Jingkun's movements. In many competitions, the contest between Mr. Liang Jingkun and Mr. Fan Zhendong always showed his advantages. He has a lot of attacking power, excellent ball control, and is very familiar with Mr. Fan Zhendong's style of play, so he has a big advantage in this contest. So if Fan Zhendong meets Liang Jingkun in the semi-finals, he will have to be prepared for 12 points to be able to play his best.
Next, we will talk about the other two foreign players, namely Tomokazu Zhang and Lin Yunru, who should not be taken lightly either. Both of them are not only potential contenders for gold medals at the Paris Olympics, but also tough opponents for the continental table tennis team. Their performances in major international competitions have always been very good, especially against the players of the mainland table tennis team, and they have always been able to play an exceptionally high technical level. Mr. Fan Zhendong once lost the match with Tomokazu Zhangmoto, and the contest with Lin Yunru also had his own wins and losses, so if Mr. Fan Zhendong meets these two players in the semi-finals, then he must deeply understand how he should grasp the overall situation.
In the confrontation with these powerful opponents, Mr. Fan Zhendong needs to give full play to his technical characteristics, and at the same time, he must also make corresponding adjustments in special situations. Against Mr. Liang Jingkun, he will need to be proficient in manipulating the flight path of the ball to improve the quality of his shots to reduce the error rate, in the competition with Zhang Benzhihe, he will need to improve his reflexes and flexibility, and in the competition against Lin Yunru, he will need to show composure and patience in key moments to maintain the dominance of the game.