The 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban is about to kick off, and as a Japanese national player, Tomokazu Haramoto is desperate to show his strength on this stage, especially against China's top players.
Tomokazu is looking forward to the upcoming matchups, and he recalls his past matchups with Chinese players. Most of the results weren't ideal, but that never dampened his resolve to get the better of his opponents.
As long as he does his best, even if he finally separates the best, he can get out of the way, accumulate valuable experience, and rebuild his strength for the next competition.
"I must have an excellent performance in this World Table Tennis Championships!" Zhang Benzhihe secretly made up his mind, and his eyes flashed with determination. He knows it's going to be tough, but what an exhilarating and exciting moment it will be if he can make a breakthrough in the Circle.
Deep down, Zhang Benzhihe has an incomparable desire to compete on this international stage. He knows that the Chinese team has a strong squad and has many strong and skilled players.
But it is the existence of these strong players that makes Zhang Benzhi and his fighting spirit high and ignites the fighting spirit of the battle.
Growing up
In fact, Tomokazu Zhang was born in an ordinary Chinese family, and his family had high hopes for him, hoping that this talented child could become a rising star in the Chinese table tennis world.
From an early age, Tomokazu Haramoto showed extraordinary talent and understanding, and at the age of 9, he set a record for the weakest player in the All-Japan Championships, which made people amazed.
At that time, Zhang Benzhihe also had the nationality of the People's Republic of China and was a pure Chinese citizen. However, the family knows that the competition in the domestic table tennis world is extremely fierce, and it is not easy to get ahead in this red sea.
For the sake of Tomokazu Zhangmoto's future, his parents finally made a major decision after careful consideration - to let Tomokazu Zhang represent the Japanese national team as a Japanese.
In this way, Tomokazu Zhang gave up his Chinese nationality and joined the Japanese national team, opening a new chapter in his life. Although the honors and status he later received were obvious to all, he also secretly shed tears during this formative years.
Those youthful years, full of loneliness and hardship, will become the biggest motivation for him to move forward.
Intense 1/4 final showdown
On the field, Tomokazu Zhang ushered in the most important showdown in his life. His opponent is China's Liang Jingkun, a strong and skillful top-notch player.
As soon as they came up, the two sides launched a fierce tug-of-war, and you came and went, and they were on equal footing.
At the beginning of the game, Liang Jingkun quickly took the initiative with his solid basic skills and strong psychological quality. He controlled the tempo precisely, and when he launched the attack, Tomokazu Zhang fell into passivity for a while.
However, Tomokazu Zhang has been regarded as a "genius" since he was a child, and he has never been crushed even if he falls into the downside. He played steadily, biting the score and not relaxing, while paying attention to Liang Jingkun's every move, and gradually found the opponent's weakness.
Once he caught Liang Jingkun's flaws, Zhang Benzhihe was like a lion roaring wildly, and quickly started a guerrilla war of counterattack. His momentum was like a rainbow, and his opponent was not afraid at all, and launched a fierce attack.
Although Liang Jingkun fell into passivity, he never panicked from beginning to end. With a solid foundation and tenacious perseverance, the veteran quickly regained the dominance.
Just when everyone thought that the game was over, Zhang Benzhihe suddenly went berserk, and Liang Jingkun was at a loss for a while with his spinning ball skills.
In the end, in this final decisive battle, Liang Jingkun barely survived Zhang Benzhihe's crazy offensive at a critical moment, and won with a total score of 4:2.
After the winner was decided, both sides sat down on the pitch in unison, both physically and mentally exhausted, such a game was so exciting that it would be unforgettable.
After the game, Liang Jingkun and Zhang Benzhihe looked at each other and smiled, and they hugged each other tightly. At this moment, the victory or defeat has been forgotten, and there is only the admiration and respect of the two top players for each other.
Although Tomokazu Zhang lost the match, he showed his strength completely in this Clash of Dragons and Tigers, allowing the world to see where he shined.
Tomokazu Zhang burst into tears on the stage
At the press conference after the match, the host announced that Tomokazu Haramoto would be asked to answer questions from Japanese reporters. At first, Zhang Benzhihe looked calm, and his words revealed recognition and affirmation of his performance.
"Despite the loss, I gave my best and had no regrets. Zhang Benzhihe said firmly.
However, when a Japanese reporter suddenly asked the seemingly unintentional question of "how do you plan to celebrate your 20th birthday soon", Tomokazu Zhangmoto's eyes instantly moistened.
As if traveling back to that period of loneliness and hardship, Tomokazu Zhang could no longer maintain his composure, and tears burst out of his eyes. He choked up and replied, "The next 10 years will be even more difficult, even if it is more painful than when I was a teenager, I will persevere and give it my all."
The scene was silent, and the host was speechless for a while, not knowing how to answer. Everyone can feel that Tomokazu Zhang has suffered a lot on the road of growth, and how unswerving his determination and perseverance are to treat the table tennis career.
It turns out that Tomokazu Zhangmoto, who has been regarded as a "genius" since he was a child, is not as happy as the outside world sees. As a foreign player playing in Japan, he has been burdened with heavy expectations since he was a child, and his heart is full of great pressure.
Once you lose in an important match, you will be questioned and criticized from all sides. In order to prove himself and realize his dreams, he can only do his best, train diligently day after day, and dare not relax at all.
These lonely and difficult years were destined to accompany him throughout his career.
Recalling the past of setbacks and doubts along the way since the age of 9, Zhang Benzhihe suddenly realized that the road ahead is destined to be even more difficult. He must continue to fight and keep going until he overcomes that nightmare in his heart and finally wins the world stage.
Only in this way can he be completely relieved, so that the bitterness and sweat of the past will not be in vain.
Even though the road ahead is not smooth, Tomokazu Zhang still has firm confidence in his future.
After this World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, he will learn a lesson and be more aware of his own shortcomings, so that he can train and improve more purposefully, and prepare for the next time he will hit a higher stage.
Compared with Zhang Benzhihe, Chinese national players such as Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, and Fan Zhendong can be said to have reached home at this World Table Tennis Championships. They attacked strongly and finally won all five titles, demonstrating the dominance of Chinese table tennis on the world stage.
It is worth mentioning that the 19-year-old Sun Yingsha defeated Chen Meng in the final and won the women's singles championship. This is not only the first Grand Slam of her career, but also makes her the first post-00 player in the history of the World Table Tennis Championships to win the women's singles, which is gratifying.
For Chen Meng, although it is a pity to miss the opportunity to win a Grand Slam, she should be ranked NO in the world for her current women's singles rankings. 2 achievements to be proud of. As a veteran player, Chen Meng has surpassed the equally strong Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi in the world ranking with his continuous dedication during this period of time.
In the much-watched men's singles final, Fan Zhendong, who had experienced 15 years of lying on the salary, finally stood on the final stage. Despite some doubts before the game, Fan Zhendong finally won the championship with his excellent consistency and superb skills.
Although Wang Chuqin, who played against Fan Zhendong, had a certain advantage in terms of ball speed, his steady and steady and step-by-step style of play was obviously inferior to that of his opponent. Coupled with Fan Zhendong's ability to control the opponent's spinning ball, it is difficult for Wang Chuqin to take the initiative in the game.
Overall, there is no doubt about the outstanding performance of the Chinese team in this World Table Tennis Championships. They won all five championships for the 10th time, which is enough to see the dominance of Chinese table tennis in the world.
It is gratifying that newcomers like Assal and Linde have also performed well, injecting new vitality into the future development of the Chinese team.
The South African government, as the host country, is also proud of the success of the tournament in the city of Durban. This is the first time in 39 years that the World Table Tennis Championships have been held in the southern hemisphere, which can be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
We have reason to believe that the exquisite skills of Chinese players will bring new opportunities and impetus to the spread of table tennis around the world.