Wang Yidi was upset, Zhang Benmei and made history, and the national table tennis Olympic lineup changed?
In the singles event of the Table Tennis World Cup held in Macau, Wang Yidi, the main force of national table tennis, unexpectedly encountered Waterloo in the 1/8 finals. The world-ranked Chinese player showed a slump in the match, eventually losing 1-4 on aggregate to 15-year-old Japanese rising star Miwa Zhangmoto. With her outstanding performance, Miwa Zhang became the youngest World Cup singles semi-finalist player in history, writing a new page for the Japanese table tennis world.
The result of this match undoubtedly caused an uproar. As a popular star in national table tennis, Wang Yidi has repeatedly achieved good results in the past few years, and once climbed to the peak of the world. With her comprehensive skills and steady playing style, she is regarded as a new generation leader in Chinese table tennis and a strong contender for the women's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
In this World Cup, Wang Yidi failed to show his due strength. From the beginning of the game, her performance seemed to be a little sluggish, with slow reflexes and weak offense. Zhang Benmeihe played with momentum like a rainbow, with a sharp attack and a solid defense, which made Wang Yidi, a "veteran", fall into passivity for a while.
Although Wang Yidi quickly pulled back a city in the game, she was unable to resist Zhang Benmeihe's flexibility. From time to time, the young opponent unleashed dazzling and wonderful balls to pull the score apart. In the last game, although Wang Yidi fought back, he was still unable to return to the sky and lost 14-16, thus regretting the total score of 1-4.
It was undoubtedly a shocking game. As the top seed, Wang Yidi was expected to be high, but in the end, he was defeated by Zhang Benmeihe's challenge. The Japanese "post-00s" star has shown a steady style of play and extraordinary talent beyond her years, and she has set a record for the youngest player in the semi-finals of the World Cup singles, bringing an exciting battle to the Japanese table tennis scene.
What is even more interesting is whether Wang Yidi's poor performance in this campaign will affect her Olympic prospects. Before the game, the head coach of the national table tennis Li Falcon publicly said that Wang Yidi was no longer suitable for participating in the Olympic singles event. This remark sparked a lot of controversy, and there was a view that Li Falcon "spoke too early", which hit Wang Yidi's confidence.
Regarding Wang Yidi's poor performance in the World Cup, the decision-making of the national table tennis coaching staff was naturally questioned. As the head coach, Li Falcon has publicly stated that Wang Yidi is not suitable for the singles event, which undoubtedly makes people feel that he has lost confidence in Wang Yidi's prospects in the singles event.
Even so, Li Falcon finally sent Wang Yidi to participate in this World Cup singles event. From this point of view, it seems that he has not completely given up on Wang Yidi, but hopes to test Wang Yidi's state through this competition.
Why did Li falcon waver about Wang Yidi's prospects in singles? Judging from his recent results, Wang Yidi is indeed a bit sluggish. At last year's Tokyo Olympics, she reached the quarterfinals in singles, a far cry from her previous expectations. Since then, she has failed to achieve the desired results in a number of international competitions, and even suffered an early exit in the Asian Cup last month.
Wang Yidi's recent state is indeed a little worrying. As the main force of national table tennis, her performance is directly related to the Chinese team's performance in major events such as the Olympic Games. Li is understandably skeptical about her prospects in singles.
After all, Wang Yidi is an experienced player, and he has also shown good tenacity on the field. She had previously regained her form quickly during a low period and won a number of honours for her national team. Li Falcon may also hope that through this World Cup, Wang Yidi can regain his touch and prepare for the upcoming Olympic cycle.
Now it seems that Wang Yidi's poor performance at the World Cup has undoubtedly cast a shadow over her Olympic singles prospects. As one of the leading players in national table tennis, her sluggish performance in this campaign will undoubtedly affect the coaching staff's consideration and arrangement of the lineup.
Wang Yidi is not the only choice of national table tennis in the Olympic singles event. In addition to her, a group of outstanding young players such as Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, and Wang Manyu are all strong contenders for the Olympic gold medal. They have all been in excellent form recently and are expected to win the title for their national team at the Olympics.
As a veteran, Wang Yidi's experience and stability are still valued by national table tennis. Her calmness and on-the-spot adaptability often play a key role in critical moments. Whether the national table tennis coaching staff will continue to use her and give her the opportunity to play Olympic singles will undoubtedly be a question worth pondering.
In addition to Wang Yidi, Zhang Benmeihe's outstanding performance in this World Cup also makes people look forward to her prospects in the Olympic Games. As a new generation leader in the Japanese table tennis world, this post-00 teenager has shown extremely high attainments in terms of technology, full of offensive power, and cautious and experienced in defense.
Her wonderful performance in the World Cup not only won the world's attention for herself, but also gave the Japanese table tennis world new hope. If Zhang Benmei and Noh Ji maintain a good hand, I believe she will be one of the toughest opponents of the Chinese team at the Paris Olympics.