In the men's singles final of the Table Tennis WTT Championships in Incheon, South Korea, Liang Jingkun defeated Brazilian star Hugo Calderano 4-1 and avenged his teammate Fan Zhendong. Interestingly, the final was the easiest for Liang Jingkun, who had often fought to the deciding game to highlight his big heart, but against Hugo, he maintained a resolute and efficient output. After the match, Liang Jingkun rushed to the stands to interact cordially with Liu Guoliang, chairman of the WTT board of directors and chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association.
After winning the championship in South Korea, Liang Jingkun is only behind Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong in the world rankings, and the Olympic selection points are also very close to Ma Long, and the Olympic selection points are an important reference, but not absolute, everything is possible. Although in the past two or three years, I always feel that Da Fat is not very stable in playing, and there are many players who have lost to foreign associations, but in the Paris Olympic year, his form has become more and more stable, and he can withstand the headwind, which is undoubtedly a plus.
Take the final with Hugo as an example, Liang Jingkun did not hesitate to implement the targeted play arrangement of the coaching staff (likely Liu Guoliang), and used rotation to control Hugo to get started, although Hugo likes to retreat to the far platform to attack, Liang Jingkun's "thickness" is enough to resist back, like a wall, so that Hugo's idea of dominating the ball through the high quality of the far platform is shattered. Except for the second game, Liang Jingkun controlled a little more and took less initiative to get started, and he firmly controlled the situation throughout the game.
The competition for the third person in the Olympic team is intensifying, although Ma Long is experienced in the Grand Slam, but his physical fitness and injury are hard injuries, if he takes into account Ma Long's merits to the Chinese table tennis team, he should be allowed to play, but the Olympic candidate cannot be emotional, Liang Jingkun is stronger than Ma Long in terms of physical strength and mental attributes (hunger). In particular, the outstanding performance of the recent tournament shows that he has mobilized his hot form on the eve of the Olympics, and it would be a pity if he kept players who are in good shape and have a good feel.
We can also have a bolder idea, if the chubby Fan Zhendong is always in average condition, or even more depressed in the future, Liang Jingkun still has the hope of a shocking counterattack to participate in the Olympic men's singles. Of course, this hope is very small, because Fan Zhendong's position in the national table tennis is very solid, and the coaching staff cannot win it because of the downturn in several games, unless there are uncontrollable factors such as injuries.