Malone was out of the game
The 2024 Saudi Grand Slam Table Tennis Tournament will undoubtedly be remembered in the table tennis world. In this prestigious top tournament, Chinese table tennis legend Ma Long experienced a shocking upset defeat. Ma Long faced South Korea's Zhang Yuzhen in the round of 32, and unexpectedly, the two-time Olympic men's singles champion of China was swept 0-3 and stopped in the round of 32.
For Malone, this is undoubtedly a rare big upset loss in his career. As the main force of the national table tennis men's singles, Ma Long has always been the focus of the table tennis world, he has comprehensive skills, experience, and steadyness, and has repeatedly made miraculous achievements in the past competitions. At this Saudi Grand Slam, Ma Long unexpectedly showed a sluggish state, losing under Zhang Yuzhen's fierce offensive, with a score of 11:13, 6:11, and 8:11 in the three games, completely losing his competitiveness.
Such a defeat result undoubtedly shocked fans and pundits alike. As a table tennis legend, Ma Long has repeatedly performed miracles in the past top tournaments, but it is rare for him to have such a poor performance at the Saudi Grand Slam. People believe that Ma Long may have been affected by some unknown factors, such as declining form and psychological pressure, so that he could have such a sluggish performance in such an important event.
The other main forces of national table tennis also lost
In addition to Ma Long, the Chinese table tennis team also suffered other upset defeats in this Saudi Grand Slam. Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Manyu and other main players of national table tennis have also been eliminated in the top 32 and top 16 stages, which undoubtedly brought a heavy blow to the Chinese table tennis team.
Liang Jingkun is the top seed in this Grand Slam, but he lost to Germany's dark horse Francesca in the round of 32 and lost 2-4. Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu were similarly disappointing, with their stoppage in the round of 16 and round of 32 respectively. As the top 10 players in the world, they have collectively lost in such an important event, which is arguably unique in the past few years.
The collective downturn of the main players of national table tennis undoubtedly worries the coaching team of Chinese table tennis. People believe that this may be related to many factors such as the players' preparation state and psychological pressure. As a traditional powerhouse, the Chinese team has carried heavy pressure to win the championship in every major competition, which may affect the performance of the players to a certain extent.
The pattern of table tennis may change
The poor performance of the main players of the Chinese team in the Saudi Grand Slam undoubtedly indicates that the table tennis landscape may undergo some changes. In the past few years, the Chinese team has been the dominant force in table tennis, but the rise of the younger generation of players has posed an unprecedented challenge to the traditional strong teams.
In this Saudi Grand Slam, in addition to Zhang Yuzhen's sweep of Ma Long's upset, the outstanding performance of the German "dark horse" Francesca also attracted widespread attention. Francesca defeated Liang Jingkun and Zhang Yuzhen successively, and finally met China's first brother Wang Chuqin in the final. For a player who was not favored before, Francesca proved himself with his strength and brought a great challenge to the traditional powerhouses.
In addition to Germany, young players from other traditional table tennis countries have also performed well in the Saudi Grand Slam, such as Sweden's Trent and Japan's Tomokazu Haramoto. Although they were unable to break through in the end, they have already shown great potential and are expected to challenge the dominance of traditional powerhouses in the future.
People believe that the rise of this new generation of players will have a profound impact on the table tennis pattern. Traditional powerhouses will face unprecedented challenges, while younger players will have more opportunities to grow and express themselves. In the future, the table tennis landscape may be more diversified and the competition will be more intense.
The German dark horse broke through
In this Saudi Grand Slam, Germany's "dark horse" player Francesca is undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights. The player, who was not favored before, finally broke through to the final, and will compete for the title with his Chinese brother Wang Chuqin.
Francesca showed a high level of fighting power in this Grand Slam. He proved himself with his strength by defeating top seed Liang Jingkun and South Korea's Jang Woo-jin. In the semi-finals, Francesca defeated Zhang Yuzhen 4-2 on aggregate, which was undoubtedly a difficult victory. Zhang Yuzhen had swept Ma Long before, and his strength should not be underestimated, but Francesca finally defeated his opponent with his excellent performance.
After reaching the final, Francesca will be challenged by China's first brother Wang Chuqin. As the top seed in this Grand Slam, Wang Chuqin has always been the biggest favorite to win the title, and he is a big challenger to Francesca due to his comprehensive skills, experience and steadiness on the court. Even so, Francesca has the confidence to go ahead.
"I've beaten a lot of strong players, including Liang Jingkun and Zhang Yuzhen, and I have confidence in myself. Francesca said in an interview after the match, "It will be a tough battle against Wang Chuqin in the final, but I will give my all and never miss any opportunity." ＂
The 2024 Saudi Grand Slam Table Tennis Tournament will undoubtedly be remembered in the table tennis world. The main players of the Chinese team, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Manyu and others, lost one after another in the event, which indicates that the table tennis landscape may change. The rise of the younger generation of players such as Zhang Yuzhen and Francesca has posed an unprecedented challenge to traditional powerhouses.
The series of unpopular results in this Grand Slam reflect that the table tennis world is undergoing a change between the old and the new. Although the traditional strong teams are still strong, the growth of the new generation of players will put a lot of pressure on them. In the future, the table tennis landscape may be more diversified and the competition will be more intense. For the fans, this will undoubtedly be a more exciting and exciting era.