Table tennis is not only a highly regarded sport in China, but also a lifestyle and cultural symbol. When a major event comes, people all over the country will crowd in front of the TV, greedily absorbing every minute and every second of the picture to cheer for the national players. This year's ITTF Macau World Cup is such a high-profile and highly anticipated event.
On April 20, this top racket event, known as the "Table Tennis Olympics", kicked off in Macau. This competition is of great significance to the Chinese team, because it is not only a great opportunity to challenge for the world championship title, but also the last official training session left before the Paris Olympics. Through this racket battle, the Chinese team can test the latest tactical deployment, understand the state of the athletes, and make final preparations for the Olympic Games.
For the fans, the World Cup is also very exciting. At that time, CCTV5 will broadcast the live broadcast of the whole game, hundreds of millions of Chinese people through the TV broadcast to understand every minute and every second of the situation, the whole country is cheering for the Chinese team, looking forward to them can continue to write brilliant on this world-class stage.
The Chinese team has a strong lineup in this competition, and the men's and women's singles events have sent three top players to compete. In the men's singles, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan are in the men's singles, while in the women's singles, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu. They will face Japan's Tomotoshi and his siblings in the semi-finals for the title of both singles events.
The focus battle will be staged in the men's singles event Lin Gaoyuan vs Tomokazu Zhangmoto. This is definitely a showdown between the old and the new in the table tennis world, and the strength is equal. Lin Gaoyuan is an evergreen in Chinese table tennis, a three-time World Cup champion, a five-time gold medal at the World Championships, and the men's singles crown at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. His career has undoubtedly been a glorious epic, with impressive skills and impressive records.
And Tomokazu Zhangmoto is the new generation of Japanese table tennis flag bearer after Mizutani Hayabusa. At the age of 22, he broke into the world No. 1 rankings early last year, becoming the first athlete in Japanese table tennis history to reach the world No. 1 throne. Zhang Benzhihe's ball skills, smart style of play, and integrated defense and counterattack, can be called "Little Fengqiao on the court"; He is good at lore and stubborn counterattacks, and often takes the lead in very unexpected moments, which is quite a bit of "table tennis magic".
This time, Lin Gaoyuan and Tomokazu Zhangmoto, who have been together for many years, have gone head-to-head on the world-class stage for the first time. The strength of the two sides is equal, but the age difference is more than ten years, forming a distinct duel between the old and the new. Will Lin Gaoyuan overwhelm his opponent with his rich experience and superb skills, or will Zhang Benzhi and this "little fresh meat with evil arts" be able to set off a bloody storm? Let's wait and see!
Another key battle is the women's singles event Wang Manyu vs Zhang Benmei and the first battle. Since last year's World Cup final, the two met again on the world stage for the ultimate showdown.
Wang Manyu is undoubtedly the rising star of today's Chinese women's table tennis. Despite being ranked third in the world, she holds multiple World Series titles and has unlimited potential. In last year's World Cup final, she and Zhang Benmeihe experienced a five-game battle, but unfortunately lost 3:4 in the end. In this encounter, Wang Manyu will definitely be determined to do his best, hoping to win a city back and win his first World Cup title for himself.
And Zhang Benmeihe is Zhang Ben Zhihe's own sister, and her strength is also excellent. As the core force of Japanese women's table tennis, she is skillful, aggressive, and unpredictable in defense and counterattack. In the World Cup final last year, Zhang Benmeihe finally won with tenacious hard work, but Wang Manyu also made her feel uneasy. This time, who on both sides will have the last laugh? We'll see!
In addition to the four key battles in the men's and women's singles events, the other two semi-finals will also stage a duel between powerful factions: Chen Meng VS Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin VS Ma Long. Although they are not as high-profile as Lin Gaoyuan and others, as long as they step on the court, these top masters of Chinese table tennis will also do their best to show their natural skills and bring a visual feast to the audience.
Looking back at the record of Chinese table tennis in the World Cup, it can be described as a well-known "perennial winner". In the last 2023 Bangkok World Cup, the Chinese team won the championship of men's and women's singles and women's doubles; In the 2022 Houston World Cup, the Chinese team swept all five singles and doubles events, leading the crowd.
According to the schedule, at 6 p.m. on April 20, Wang Manyu and Zhang Benmei Wo will be the first to play at the Macau Tennis Club Exhibition Center, and then Chen Meng will face Sun Yingsha. At 6:30 p.m., the men's singles semifinals between Lin Gaoyuan and Tomokazu Zhang are on the verge of breaking out, and Ma Long and Wang Chuqin will also fight at 8:50.
In this World Cup, will the Chinese team be able to continue its brilliant record? Will Lin Gaoyuan be able to end his career as the oldest to win the championship? Will the Zhang brothers and sisters be able to turn the tide and regain the World Cup crown for the Japanese team? All the mysteries will be revealed in the next few days.
For every Chinese fan, the way to support and cheer is the same: stay in front of the TV, follow the live broadcast of CCTV5, and always keep abreast of the latest game situation. In the past few days, the whole country will be looking at the TV screen, holding their breath to witness every progress of this racket battle, and cheering for the Chinese team.