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The 2024 WTT Stars Challenge Doha is destined to be a day that will go down in the history of table tennis. The Chinese team emerged in the men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles events, laying the groundwork for the performance of the Chinese table tennis team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Moreover, from the game, we can not only get a glimpse of the sublimation of football skills, but also the subtext of the team lineup, like a wonderful monologue of "lineup reveal".
First of all, let's review the Men's Doubles quarter-finals, where world champions Ma Long and Wang Chuqin defeated the powerful Swedish pair of Falke and Magnus 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. This match is simply a gluttonous feast in the table tennis world, with the collision of skills and sparks, showing the demeanor of a world champion. Ma Long and Wang Chuqin cooperated tacitly to win the opponent, which made people fully prepared for the men's team competition at the Paris Olympics.
However, that's not the most exciting part. Netizens have speculated about the lineup of the coaching staff, and one question symbol after another jumped in their minds: Ma Long and Wang Chuqin partnered again, does it indicate that the lineup of the men's team competition of the Paris Olympics will be exposed in advance? And will Fan Zhendong, Ma Long and Wang Chuqin join forces to form a domineering lineup for the team competition of the Paris Olympics?
Eager netizens have analyzed and seem to be able to smell a hint of the game lineup. The men's doubles combination may be aimed at achieving better results at the Paris Olympics, and the combination of Fan Zhendong, Ma Long and Wang Chuqin will provide more options for the Chinese team in the team competition. This can't help but make people look forward to the unique style of the table tennis competition at the Paris Olympics.
Not only that, but the women's doubles event is also eye-catching. In the 1/8 finals, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu swept the Korean pair Kim Naying and Lee Shiwen 3-0 and easily advanced to the 1/4 finals. The golden combination of this tacit partner seems to have already found an invincible tacit understanding on the field. In the interview, Chen Meng revealed that they had gradually formed a stable style of play last season, and the momentum of this tacit understanding was becoming more and more obvious. Although they sometimes fell behind on the field, they encouraged and trusted each other to win in the end.
What's even more eye-catching is that netizens speculate that Wang Manyu and Chen Meng may play in the Paris Olympics women's team competition with Sun Yingsha, and a P card player may be Wang Yidi. Such a combination seems ordinary but contains infinite suspense. Can the lineup of the women's team competition at the Paris Olympics surprise us and set off a new storm in the table tennis world?
It is worth noting that the 2024 Paris Olympics is of great significance to the Chinese table tennis team. Having lost their mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, they are desperate to win all the gold medals in Paris, France. Head coach Li Ying said that the team's training preparation and lineup matching in the new season will be centered on the Paris Olympics. This is also reflected in the WTT Star Challenge, where the Chinese table tennis team has sent a full main lineup in various events, not only to strive for better results in the competition, but also to find more tacit cooperation in teamwork.
In the mixed doubles event, world No. 1 Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu, Lin Shidong and Kuo Man and other strong combinations competed. The men's and women's singles lineup is composed of Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Meng, and Chen Xing. In the men's and women's doubles events, the pairs fought hard to retain the championship for the Chinese team and put on a wonderful performance for the Paris Olympics. In the 1/8 finals, Ma Long and Wang Chuqin defeated Falke and Carlsen 3-1, which made people see their tacit understanding and strength in teamwork.
It is especially worth mentioning that Wang Chuqin partnered with Fan Zhendong and Ma Long in the men's doubles event, and actually won the men's doubles championship at the World Championships. This undoubtedly provides more options for the Chinese team in the men's team doubles competition at the Paris Olympics. What makes this young player able to dominate the world stage with different partners? The men's team doubles competition at the Paris Olympics is probably an even more exciting arena.
Finally, back to the golden combination of Wang Manyu and Chen Meng, they may join hands in the women's team competition at the Paris Olympics. The two have formed a stable style of play on the court, and the tacit understanding between them is impeccable. Despite the difficulties they sometimes encounter in the competition, they always have the mutual encouragement and trust between them, so that they can always overcome everything. Can such a combination create a miracle again in the women's team competition at the Paris Olympics and become a new generation of legends in Chinese table tennis?
However, all this speculation and expectation is inseparable from the fact that the Chinese table tennis team has sent an all-main lineup in the 2024 WTT Star Challenge, accelerating the pace of lineup running-in. Maybe it's to get a better performance at the Paris Olympics and to show the world what they're capable of.
However, as we cheer for the performance of the Chinese Legion, we also have to think about a controversial issue. Is table tennis, once a closed sport in China, too powerful in the world today? Has the rise of the Chinese team made table tennis lack suspense and lose some of the fun of competitive sports? In the world table tennis arena, does China need more competition to stimulate the vitality of this sport?
Perhaps at the glittering Paris Olympics, this issue will be more deeply considered and discussed. In any case, the WTT Star Challenge 2024 brings us a feast that is not only a game, but also a guide to the future development direction of table tennis. While the Chinese legion is emerging to prominence, we must also inject new vitality into this sport and keep it alive in the fierce competition.