Introduction: The unexpected result of the Saudi Grand Slam
On the sports scene, every match is fraught with uncertainty, and this was especially evident at the WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam.
The Chinese national table tennis competition on this day can be described as a nightmare, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Manyu, and the high-profile Ma Long, these four main players have been out one after another, making the result of the game unexpected. Especially Ma Long, as the banner figure of national table tennis, his 0-3 defeat gave national table tennis fans a huge regret.
The crushing defeat of the main players
In this series of matchups, Ma Long's fiasco is particularly eye-catching. He not only lost to his opponent Zhang Yuzhen in terms of technique and strategy, but also showed a lot of problems in terms of physical fitness and condition.
Ma Long's performance was far from its peak, especially against South Korea's strong opponent Jang Woo-jin, who failed to show the competitive form he should have. In this game, Ma Long's usual tactical and controlling style of play seemed to have completely disappeared, so that his performance on the court was unacceptable to the audience and himself.
The official announcement of the Olympic lineup: mixed with joy and sorrow
However, yesterday's national table tennis upsets were frequent, and the next day, Beijing time, on May 7, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of table tennis men's singles and mixed doubles for the Paris Olympics: two-time Olympic men's singles champion Ma Long has missed it!
In the men's singles event, Wang Chuqin won the men's singles quota with 22,425 points based on the comprehensive world ranking points and international competition bonus points.
Fan Zhendong won the men's singles spot with 17,678 points.
The Chinese team in the mixed doubles Olympic list for the Paris Olympics is Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha. Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong will automatically qualify for the team competition. The final list of 3 members of the group is to be announced. Table tennis at the Paris Olympics will take place from 27 July to 10 August.
Ma Long's defeat is actually not surprising, from the selection conditions, Ma Long's world ranking and points have no advantage, so he did not meet the selection criteria. Ma Long was the men's singles champion at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, and in addition to that, he also won gold medals in the men's table tennis teams in London, Rio and Tokyo. This time, Liu Guoliang and the coaching staff did not "open the back door" for the former Grand Slam winner.
Although he has reached the end of his career, in the past Macau World Cup, Ma Long still went all the way to win the men's singles championship. So this official result and his unexpected defeat not only shattered Ma Long's dream of a three-lap Grand Slam, but also made all the fans who expected him to continue to be brilliant feel sorry.
Future outlook and preparations for the Olympics
Although Ma Long did not make it to the Olympic singles stage, he is still expected to win glory through his performance in the team competition. In the face of the upcoming Olympic Games, the Chinese national table tennis will undoubtedly learn the necessary experience from the lessons of this Saudi Grand Slam. Going forward, especially in the mixed doubles and men's singles competitions, the whole team will need to make more tactical adjustments and mental preparation to ensure that they can perform at their best at the Paris Olympics.
In summary, although Ma Long's defeat brought regret to his personal career, it also sounded the alarm for the future strategic deployment of national table tennis. In this regard, the national table tennis needs to make positive adjustments and reflections to ensure better results in future competitions. so that you won't lose so many foreign wars again!