In the absence of the national table tennis collective, the WTT feeder tournament Valaždin in April 2024 staged a wonderful table tennis battle. In the end, Japan emerged as the biggest winners of the tournament, with newcomer Satsuki Oto particularly eye-catching, as she won both the Women's Singles and Women's Doubles events, demonstrating her outstanding strength.
This undoubtedly sends a strong signal to the national table tennis - Japanese table tennis is cultivating a group of rookies with extraordinary strength, who are closely following the footsteps of the national table tennis and may one day become the new table tennis leader.
For national table tennis, the rise of Datensha Moon is undoubtedly a wake-up call. The Japanese youngster, who is less than 20 years old, undoubtedly has outstanding talent and strength, and is the opponent that national table tennis needs to be extra vigilant against.
For a long time, the national table tennis has maintained an absolute advantage in table tennis, but with the continuous progress of national teams such as Japan, this advantage is facing severe challenges. The rise of the Great Teng Shayue is only the tip of the iceberg. If the national table tennis fails to adjust its strategy in time and accelerate the construction of the talent echelon, the "post-national table tennis era" may come in future events.
First, the rising of the big vine sand moon
As a young player born in 2004, Satsuki Oto can be described as a "new star" with high hopes in the table tennis world. From the beginning of her debut, she was regarded as the future successor of the Japanese team, and was listed as a key training object along with Miwa Zhangmoto, Miyu Kihara and others.
In fact, Satsuki Oto's talent and strength are indeed not inferior to these leading women, but she has always lacked enough stability, which has also caused her to gradually fade out of the limelight in international competitions in recent years.
However, in this race in Valaždin, Satsuki Oto finally ushered in his own spring. She won both the Women's Singles and Women's Doubles events, showing her strength and competitiveness.
In the women's singles final, Satsuki Oto defeated South Korea's Lee Eun-hye with a score of 3-1, showing her outstanding strength. In Women's Doubles, she and her partner Sakura Yokoi defeated Hong Kong's Chu Chengzhu/Lee Ho Ching 3-1 to win the title. This is undoubtedly a brilliant "report card" of Satsuki Oto after returning to the international arena.
It is worth mentioning that the outstanding performance of Oto Satsuki this time is not accidental. As a rookie in the Japanese table tennis scene, she has been in the spotlight since her debut, but has not been able to make a breakthrough in international competitions due to her lack of consistency.
This time, in the absence of the national table tennis collective, he was able to stand out and win the double championship, which undoubtedly once again confirmed the outstanding strength of Oto Sayue.
Previously, the Japanese table tennis world has always been considered the "Miwa Zhang Era". However, with the rise of Satsuki Oto and the continuous progress of the new generation of players such as Miyu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki, the Japanese table tennis world is gradually getting rid of its excessive dependence on Miwa Zhangmoto and showing a more diversified pattern. The outstanding performance of Satsuki Oto is undoubtedly the latest footnote to this trend.
Second, national table tennis needs to be vigilant against rising stars
For national table tennis, the rise of Da Teng Shayue undoubtedly sounded the alarm. For a long time, Chinese table tennis has been the absolute dominance of world table tennis, but with the continuous catch-up of national teams such as Japan, this pattern is facing unprecedented challenges. The outstanding performance of Satsuki Oto is just a microcosm.
It is worth noting that in this Valaždin station, in addition to Satsuki Oto, many young players of the Japanese team also appeared one after another and achieved good results. This undoubtedly means that the Japanese table tennis world is cultivating a group of rookies with good strength, who are closely following the footsteps of national table tennis, and may one day become the new table tennis master.
In the past, national table tennis has always been known for its strong talent reserve and perfect training system, which has enabled Chinese table tennis to always maintain an absolutely dominant position in the world table tennis arena. But over time, this advantage is being put to the test. Japan and other national teams are constantly narrowing the gap with the national table tennis, if the national table tennis does not have a sense of crisis and continues to respond passively, it will be difficult to maintain the dominance of table tennis in the future.
The Japanese rookie represented by Satsuki Oto is undoubtedly an opponent that national table tennis needs to be extra vigilant against. This talented young player has not only shown strong strength in this event, but is also in a critical period of rapid growth. If the national table tennis does not adjust its strategy in time and increase the cultivation of reserve forces, it is likely that it will encounter severe challenges in the international arena in the near future.
Of course, as the leader of the world table tennis arena, the national table tennis team did not catch up overnight. But if the national table tennis cannot remain vigilant and ignore the threat of these rising stars, then the arrival of the "post-national table tennis era" is not out of reach. Therefore, national table tennis needs to speed up the pace of talent training, stimulate the potential of reserve forces, and be fully prepared for future events. Only in this way can the Chinese table tennis world ensure its absolute dominant position in the world table tennis arena.
Third, the national table tennis must take the initiative to respond to challenges
In the face of the rise of rookies in the national team such as Japan, national table tennis urgently needs to take the initiative to adjust its own development strategy in order to continue to maintain its leading position in future events.
First of all, the national table tennis should strengthen the cultivation of reserve forces. For a long time, national table tennis has been far ahead of other countries in terms of talent reserves, which has allowed Chinese table tennis to maintain its dominant position. But over time, this advantage is being challenged. Therefore, the national table tennis must increase the cultivation of reserve forces, continue to inject fresh blood, and make full preparations for future events.