Table tennis has always been China's absolute strength, but in recent years, with the continuous improvement of the level of table tennis in Japan and other countries, the dominance of national table tennis has begun to be challenged like never before. At the World Table Tennis Singles Cup on April 19, 2024, Tomokazu Haramoto and Mimi Haramoto teamed up with the Japanese table tennis siblings to defeat their opponents with an aggregate score of 4-2 and 4-1 respectively to reach the semifinals in one fell swoop. This result is undoubtedly a wake-up call for the Chinese table tennis community.
Good start, Zhang Benzhi and Rick Carlberg
The first battle in the morning witnessed the eye-catching performance of Tomokazu Zhangmoto. Facing the world No. 16 Carlberg, Tomokazu Zhang fell into passivity as soon as he opened the game, falling behind 9-11. However, as the world No. 4, he did not sink there, equalizing the second game 11-7, and then losing 9-11, but in three consecutive games, 11-9, 11-9 and 11-4, Tomokazu Zhang finally won 4-2.
After the win, the 23-year-old Japanese couldn't hide his excitement, holding his hands high in an exaggerated celebration. He deserves ecstasy, as it not only helped him reach the semi-finals, but also gave him a chance to challenge China's Lin Gaoyuan or Fan Zhendong again in the semi-finals.
As we all know, these two are both top players in table tennis, Lin Gaoyuan has won the men's singles World Cup for a second time, and Fan Zhendong is the all-round world champion. Against them, whether Tomokazu Zhang can continue to perform his stunts has become the focus of attention of the audience.
Zhang Benmei and defeated Diaz in the semifinals or met Wang Manyu
And not long after Tomokazu Zhang won, Miwa Zhang also successfully passed this hurdle. Her opponent is world No. 18 Adriana Diaz, and the two sides are evenly matched. However, Zhang had the upper hand in the first three games, with a score of 11-3, 11-7, and 11-2, allowing her to quickly achieve a huge 3-0 advantage.
Although Diaz fought tenaciously in the fourth game and temporarily saved a city 11-8, Zhang Benmeihe did not relax at all, and won the next city 11-8 and won 4-1. This allowed the Japanese siblings to reach the semi-finals and become the biggest winners of the day.
What's even more exciting is that in the semifinals, Zhang Benmei and may be challenged by China's first brother Wang Manyu. And from Zhang Benzhihe's point of view, he may face Lin Gaoyuan or Fan Zhendong. Undoubtedly, this will be a top-level matchup between the Chinese and Japanese football kings.
Technically, have Japanese players tied with China?
In fact, the wonderful performance of the Zhang Ben sisters and brothers was not a sudden surprise. Prior to this, Japanese table tennis star Yoshimura Maharu had predicted that from a technical point of view, the gap between the Japanese team and the Chinese team was not large.
Although these words have been questioned a lot, the signs now do confirm the soaring level of table tennis in Japan. Not only have they mastered the world's cutting-edge training concepts, but their superb skills have also frustrated the traditional Chinese style of play.
It is worth mentioning that at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese team swept the Chinese team in the mixed doubles event, creating a new era in history. With that precious gold medal at the bottom, who can say that Japan will not achieve a bigger breakthrough at the upcoming Paris Olympics?
At present, national table tennis needs to attach great importance to it
In the face of the rapid rise of Japanese table tennis, the Chinese team should attach great importance to it. 2024 will be a decisive year for national table tennis to win all the gold medals in the table tennis events of the Paris Olympics. However, before the start of this battle, there were many alarm bells.
In addition to the outstanding performance of the Zhang Ben siblings in this World Cup, Japanese players will also be seen in many international competitions in 2023. They are no longer as submissive as they used to be, but have become more confident and high-spirited. This will undoubtedly bring great trouble to the Chinese players' road to gold.
Therefore, the national table tennis must adjust its strategic thinking in a timely manner. On the one hand, it is necessary to draw inferences from one case and find the shortcomings of the opponent; On the other hand, we should also humbly learn the strengths of our opponents and improve ourselves in all aspects. As for the competition on the field, the players must adhere to the noble sentiment of drinking water and thinking of the source, not forgetting the original intention, and carrying forward the excellent character of tenacious struggle.
Only in this way, in the table tennis arena where the level is getting closer and closer, can China continue to maintain full firepower, overwhelm the others, and maintain the hegemony of the "king of table tennis". It can be said that this World Cup singles match has sounded the alarm for the national table tennis that must be paid great attention to, and I hope they can pay attention to it.
In short, Tomokazu Zhangmoto, Zhang Benmei and the two Japanese siblings, although they are only rookies among countless heroes in the table tennis world, their outstanding performance has become a signal that the current dominance of national table tennis has been challenged. The battle between China and Japan, the battle of dragons and tigers on the table tennis court is just about to kick off! We are waiting to see the next drama of the pinnacle showdown in the table tennis world.