Macau, April 18 (Xinhua) -- With the 2024 Macau ITTF World Cup entering the knockout round on April 18, its competition system has also resumed the traditional best-of-seven system. In the previous group stage, the new format of playing four games and calculating small points at the end also brought more excitement to the Chinese national table tennis players.
This is the second time that the ITTF Singles World Cup has been held since 2020, and the return of this event has also brought new changes. In addition to the expansion of the number of participants from 16 men and women to 48 each, the biggest highlight is in the qualification rules. According to the format, 48 players are divided into 16 groups, with the top of each group to advance to the round of 16. In the group stage, each game must be played in 4 rounds, and if the players have the same number of games, they need to determine the position through the relationship between the two winners or the calculation of small points. So for the players, every point counts.
Under the new competition system, players such as Ma Long and Sun Yingsha of the Chinese team still qualified with a record of winning all the groups and not losing a game, but there were also Wang Chuqin and Lin Gaoyuan who experienced 2:2 in the first game, and locked the promotion place through a strong rebound in the second game. China's Kuo Man and South Korea's Tian Zhixi both completed 4:0 in the first match, and then the direct dialogue between the two ended 2:2. Because he was at a disadvantage of 33:36 in the small score competition, Kueman had to regret being out.
On the first match day, Wang Chuqin and South Korean player Ahn Jae-hyun fought to 2:2, and the qualifying situation was overshadowed. Fortunately, Wang Chuqin, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, defeated Glasmenko 4:0 in the second game and advanced to the round of 16.
"In the past, four wins in seven games and three wins in five games would leave one game for themselves as space. But in this form of game, if you fall behind 0:1, it feels very difficult for the whole situation, or if you are 2:0 ahead and are chased back by the opponent for a game, it is not like the feeling of three wins in five games, and you can still be stable in the fourth game. Now, there will still be some mental fluctuations, and I feel more competitive and exciting. Wang Chuqin said.
Lin Gaoyuan, who has a similar promotion experience to Wang Chuqin, said: "The new format makes every point very important, so the whole game is tight, very exciting, and more difficult than the previous games. ”
In contrast, Fan Zhendong's road to qualification was relatively easy, and in two games, Fan Zhendong won 7 games. But he says he needs a lot more adaptation. "You all need to adapt and find your way," he said. The conditions for qualifying in the group stage are very demanding, you must play to the first place, the margin for error is very low, and every point in every game is important. Winning one more point and winning one more game is very beneficial to your qualifying situation. ”
On the women's side, China's Wang Yidi and her opponent in the same group, Hong Kong's Du Hoi-king, both won five games in two games, but Wang Yidi still qualified through the win-loss relationship. Wang Yidi said: "It's very thrilling, this format is very cruel, and for us, every point counts. Entering the knockout round and playing a best-of-seven game, the pace will be slower, and you have to adjust well. ”
Chen Meng and India's Akula won their opponents in four straight games in the first match, and the two will decide the top spot in the group in a direct dialogue later, and Chen Meng won 3:1. Chen Meng said: "The game between the two of us is mainly based on the relationship between victory and defeat, and I have established a relatively big advantage in the first two games, but I still think about how to win the game on the court, so this kind of competition system is still quite exercised." ”