Plug in to The Pongcast

A fantastic new site which has just been brought to my attention is The Pongcast, you can click the image above to go to the site, make sure you check it out! The Pongcast is a new publicity/media site which is targetting new ways of spreading table tennis media. Playing with the term 'podcast' the site has recently started up with a few audio downloadables including interviews and reviews on tournaments. You can also support the endeavour on Facebook here.

The Pongcast has also started Pongcast TV Episodes where major events are highlighted, the most recent from the Men's World Cup. You can watch that video below:

Be sure to follow The Pongcast on youtube in order to keep up with these TV Episodes. It is a great project and I look forward to seeing it grow!

Video of the Week - 1/12/11

Prompted on by a good friends idea of his match of the year for 2011 I had to post this one because it is of course an amazing match. This is the English Open quarterfinal match between Xu Xin and Wang Liqin and goes right to the end, loads of great points and great to watch. Check it out below!

Clear Candidates for 2012?

Ma Long a sure Candidate?
Image from xinhuanet.com

With China's Olympic Games selections shrouded in uncertainty there seem to be two standout candidates in my mind. For me having watched Ma Long come back from injury and demolish anyone who got in his way has proved that his form at the moment is unmatched, he is exhibiting pure gold medal potential for China, having recently destroyed the field to win the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals. Not only this but he has beaten current World Champion and World Cup Winner Zhang Jike on all but one occasion. Many Ma Long supporters are convinced that he should have been present at the World Cup and don't doubt that he would have been victorious there. With Ma Long now levelling Wang Liqin's record of 40 matches undefeated, having not lost a match since the Volkswagen China Open 2011 back in June where he lost the final to Ma Lin. 2011 has been full of speculation and discussion around the Chinese Olympic Selections. Liu Guoliang, Chinese coach was interviewed by a reporter, Tabletennista has covered the article which you can read here. Essentially he isn't ruling out anyone with 10 months still to go before the prestigious event. So we will have to wait and see whether Ma Long can continue this amazing form, we can trust one thing, he will be well on his way to becoming the greatest player of all time if he can keep this form and winning record up until the Olympics. 

Ding Ning strong contender
Image from ITTF

In the women's I think so far Ding Ning has been the standout performer, having won the World Championships and the World Cup and really been a solid performer. She also has very difficult service and is left handed which has proved to be a great combination for her. Surprising of course was her defeat by Liu Shiwen by such an astonishing margin (4-0) at the recent Pro Tour Grand Finals. I think really at current Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen are strongly in the runnings to represent at the Olympics, they are both young and improving rapidly. Although of course Guo Yue and Guo Yan are still forces to be reckoned with and we can't rule out Li Xiaoxia also. With a top group of players in both the mens and the womens we will all be on the edge of our seats come the announcement of the players who will represent China. 

Of course for those who don't make it there will be disappointment. One candidate sure to be gunning hard will be Wang Hao, twice a silver medalist at the games and no doubt he will be doing everything he can to get a shot at finally sealing the deal for a gold medal. Either way it's going to be a long 10 months ahead!

A Trio of Answers from Vegas' Hottest Act

I decided to up the stakes with this one, the interviews were getting a bit too uniform for me and I wanted the chance to get a bit more creative. One trio of amazing young ladies I knew would certainly participate in my fun are Carmencita, Luoana and Cynthia Alexandrescu who have just asserted themselves in the public arena with this new page on facebook HERE. Thanks ladies for taking the time to answer some of my more intruiging questions so we can all get to know you a bit better!

Full Names:

- Carmencita Doinita Alexandrescu

- Luoana Johanna Alexandrescu

- Cynthia Jessica Alexandrescu

Dates of Birth:

- June 25 , 1968 - Carmencita

- October 17 , 1991 - Luoana

- December 30 , 1997 - Cynthia

Luoana, Carmencita and Cynthia
Please check out www.castanosport.com

I’m interested to here from Luoana and Cynthia first for this question. What’s the attraction to table tennis? For girls your age there are so many opportunities for other things, sporting, musical and cultural, what makes table tennis number one for you guys?

- Luoana: My attraction to table tennis is watching my mom play and seeing how happy this sport makes her. It’s good exercise, great way to keep yourself in shape while you are having fun , and make lots of friends all over the world.

- Cynthia: My attraction to table tennis is the nice outfits, equipments , and fame. Table Tennis is number one for me because it’s a very challenging sport , different and unique than other sports.

You guys have recently been involved in some table tennis events in different places. What has been your favourite table tennis event so far, whether a publicity or competitive event?

Our favorite event was the World Championship of Ping Pong held in our city Las Vegas February 2011, which aired on Fox Sports and local sports channels in over 800 million homes around the world. We had the chance to spend time with some of the top players from all around the world. It was lots of FUN and fantastic experience ! Check out the site here.

This is a clip from the World Championships of Ping Pong 2011 with some celebrity umpires ;)

More photos from the event of the players and of course the star umpires

  

Who’s the best player in the family? Are you guys quite competitive among yourselves or are you just happy to be there playing against each other for fun?

- Luoana &Cynthia: Our mom, Camy  is the best player in the family. We have a table and play at home sometimes. We play for fun but after a couple points we start getting into our competitive mode. Especially in doubles against our mom and our dad Adrian who is an ex-professional soccer player but loves to play table tennis!

Where is your guys favourite place to dine out together?

It’s hard to choose especially in Las Vegas there are endless of places to go eat,  but we enjoy a lot of Thai & Japanese Restaurants.

How cool is it to live in Vegas, I mean that place goes off I saw some of your Halloween photos and everything is so intense there. What do you guys do for fun on weekends etc?

Las Vegas is a crazy exciting city! For fun we usually hang out with our friends and go walking and shopping on the Las Vegas Blvd ( Strip ) or watch some Vegas shows. Also sometimes we play table tennis on the weekend and after go out to eat or watch a movie with our Table Tennis friends. Vegas always has interesting events going on where we are invited to, and enjoy different types of experiences.

The Girls turn Dolls for Halloween 

If each of you could choose a celebrity (actor, musician etc) man of your dreams who would it be?

- Carmencita:  Paul Walker ;)

- Luoana: Taylor Lautner <3

- Cynthia: Hayden Christensen <3

Who is your favourite table tennis player on the international stage and why?

- Carmencita: Jean-Michel Saive , he always was my favorite player and good example not just table tennis but life in general that it’s never too late , never give up , and keep fighting for what you love !

- Luoana: Timo Boll is my all time favorite player , I love his backhand and enjoy watching his games. I also like Dimitrij Ovtcharov , he has a very unique signature serve and has lots of potential to be number one in the future!

- Cynthia: Michael Maze is my favorite player because no matter what injury he has he always fights to play the sport he loves and  also because he is a unique cool player with awesome tattoos :D

Where do you want table tennis to take you in the future do you have big goals or is it just something you would like to be a part of regardless of your level of play?

- Carmencita: I would love to go forward with what I started, to coach the present and future generation, and to be more involved in different international events relating table tennis. One big goal is to have my own unique International Table Tennis Academy with coaches and players from different countries!

- Luoana: I wish I started playing Table Tennis when I was younger. But at the time I liked soccer a lot and my dad took me to play on his team he was coaching. Now I regret not starting earlier. I took Table Tennis serious about two and a half years ago after I graduated from High School and had more free time on my hands. My goal is to make my USATT rating higher, keep coaching the little kids at ITTF Hot Spot ICC Table Tennis Club in Milpitas, to be involved in different events around the world regarding Table Tennis , and to keep going forward with my studies to have a good future and help my family !

- Cynthia: One of my big goals is to make it to the national team. I started taking Table Tennis serious about two years ago , which is not a very long time. But I will practice hard and try my best to reach my goal !

CLC Trio at the National Air Show Recently

 Ok let’s have some fun now. For each of these, I want all three of you to answer separately. Write down the first word that comes to mind for each of the words I write below :P

Ok first one, when I say....

Ping:

You say:

-Carmencita:Pong

-Luoana: Pong

-Cynthia:Pong

Vacation:

You say:

-Carmencita: Freedom

-Luoana: Bahamas

-Cynthia: Getaway

Car:

You say:

-Carmencita: Ferrari

-Luoana: Ferrari

-Cynthia: Ferrari

Party:

You say:

-Carmencita: Happiness

-Luoana: Dance

-Cynthia: Dancing

Table tennis:

You say:

-Carmencita: Love

-Luoana: Paddle

-Cynthia: Sport

Luoana and Camy at the recent
5th Annual Ping Pong Palooza
Stage at the Sapphire Gentlemen's Club in Vegas. Intruiging ;) 

Ok scenario time, these are fun and great for insight into character and the way people think :P

Each of you give a short answer and be creative!

Scenario 1:

You are trapped in a burning building and have in your bag a can of deodorant, a table tennis bat, a sports towel, a bottle of water and a pair of table tennis shoes. How do you escape?!

- Carmencita: To escape I put on my table tennis shoes so I wont slip and fall , then pour water on my sports towel which I use to cover my mouth, I spray deodorant by my nose so I don’t smell the smoke and I cover my head with the table tennis paddle. This is my escape plan :D

- Luoana: The way I would try and escape is I put my table tennis shoes on, put the towel over me , hold the paddle to my face. That way my feet, body, and face will be protected. I run through the fire out the door, use the water to stop my towel from getting all on fire and last but not least use the deodorant to smell good and fresh like nothing happened ;D

- Cynthia: My escape plan is first of all I don’t use the deodorant because it’s flammable , I use my table tennis shoes so I wont slip or step on glass, I use my sports towel to cover my mouth so I wont inhale smoke and to roll over the fire without burning my self. Then I use the bottle of water to stop mini fire traps on my way out and the paddle to knock down doors! That’s my escape plan :D

Scenario 2:

You are caught at the table tennis stadium on Valentines Day and someone gives you a gift, feeling like you should give something in return and using table tennis equipment only, what do you make for them? :P

- Carmencita: I would put together 8 Orange Butterfly 3 star table tennis balls ;D arrange like a heart with Butterfly glue , because it sticks really good togetherJ Then draw on the table tennis balls little hearts and my signature …… Happy Valentine’s Day <3

- Luoana: On a table tennis paddle one side I will make the shape of a heart with table tennis balls and on the other side I cut out pieces of Red Tenergy 05 rubber and spell out : Happy Valentine’s Day ;)

- Cynthia: I would make a customized paddle with their name on it and paint it their favorite color. I would also give them chocolates shaped as table tennis balls <3

The girls flaunt their TableTennisDaily Stiga uniforms
which reminds me I have to take a photo in mine for Dan
Don't think I can compete with this though :P

Scenario 3:

Somebody embarrasses you in public and you have the chance to get them back in front of lots of people. You have a bucket of water, a weak firework with matches, a chocolate cake and a raw steak. Go get em! What do you do?

- Carmencita: I don’t use any of the tools I have all I do is … I turn and leave !

- Luoana: I stuff the raw steak in the yummy chocolate cake and use the weak firework as a candle. I use the matches to light up the cake and then the cake explodes all over the persons face. Then I take the bucket with water and pour it all over the person to help clean up the damage >:p

- Cynthia: If someone embarrassed me in public and I tried to get them back , I would throw water at the person first , then I would throw raw bloody steak on their face , and then smudge chocolate cake all over them ! ;D

Thanks for the time ladies!

Get Your Daily Dose of Bayley

World Number 2 Class 7 para athlete and British legend Will Bayley has just launched his new website. Having recently won the European Championships in his division and beating the World Number 1 on his way to doing so, Will is thundering towards hopes of Paralympic Gold in London next year. A hard and dedicated trainer, Will has worked so hard just over this year as I have loosely followed him on Twitter and Facebook and also his few videos on Youtube.

The site has a great design which I think really reflects Will's energy and determination to make it to the top. He's a top guy and a brilliant player and I do hope you will take the time to check out his brilliant site! Here is the link: http://www.willbayleytt.com/

First Round Claims Familiar Victims

The first round of the Mens Singles at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals was the centre focus of some incredible table tennis matches which saw a few of our favourite players disappear from the draw. Almost not surprisingly was the first round exit of Ma Lin, something we have seen now on 3 seperate occasions and also at the World Team Cup. Gao Ning was the executor of a 7 set battle which ended in the Chinese star's elimination from the competition. Again more questions are being raised over Ma Lin's future as a member of the Chinese Team, questions which I think will soon be answered going into 2012. There is no doubt in my mind that Ma Lin's Olympic hopes are definitely over.

Final Nail in the Coffin for Ma Lin?
Image from Megaspin.net 

Another 7 set clash which captured the attention of viewers was that of the recent Swiss Open winner, Chuang Chih-Yuan in which he disposed of Japan's Pro Tour hopeful, Jun Mizutani. After seeing him steamrolled by Joo Se Hyuk at the World Cup, you had to wonder whether Mizutani was going to survive against a determined Chuang. Also on the casualties list was Dimitrij Ovtcharov who fell victim to Ryu Seung Min of Korea, 4-1.

Zhang Jike struggled at a few hurdles and for a while it was looking like Seiya Kishikawa may have an upper hand, but the World Cup winner and World Champion sealed the deal in 6 sets. Also proceeding; Wang Liqin, Wang Hao, Ma Long and Xu Xin who all sailed through their first round matches without much hassle.

No upsets in the Women's Draw although Guo Yue did have some trouble finishing off Ai Fukuhara of Japan which she was only able to do in the 7th set.

We look forward to the next round of matches! Watch this space.

Stage Set for ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals

With the impressive ExCel Arena in London, England to host 2011's Pro Tour Grand Finals, the event promises as usual to be one of fierce competition. The draws are now released and the favourites picked. The Men's Singles will see some great matchups even in the first round! See below.

Just looking at this draw I'm expecting some incredible matches. Joo Se Hyuk hit some immense form at the recent World Cup but will it be enough for him to surpass the creative and technical genius of Xu Xin? and with Mizutani's defeat at the World Cup by Joo and Chuang's recent success in winning the Swiss Open in the final against Oh Sang Eun. Keep your eyes posted and make sure you tune in to watch all of the table tennis action!

See the other draws including an equally tough women's draw and both of the under 21 draws here.

Ryu Seung Min's first round Opponent
Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Image Courtesy of Beijing 2008

Quick Question Time with Tom Maynard

This week I got a response back from someone I think most of you will find pretty interesting. Tom Maynard is a class act British table tennis player currently ranked 21st on the English Table Tennis Ranking lists. This year Tom made a huge commitment and moved to Switzerland to start training and playing league. For most aspiring table tennis players this is the first step in really developing and so I was interested to hear a bit more about Tom's experience this year. Hope you all enjoy and thanks Tom for sharing!

Tom Maynard in Action
Image Courtesy of British Table Tennis Academy

Which league are you currently playing in?
Switzerland - National A League for TTC Neuhausen

Who are your team mates in that team?
My team mates are Pedro Pelz (ex German Bundesliga player) and Hunor Szocs (World Ranked top 300 and Romanian National Team)

How do you feel your level is in comparison to the other league players? Do you feel like you have a good chance of winning some good matches?
This league is now a tough and highly competitive division with lots of good players from many European countries. I would say I am one of the weaker players in this division which is good for bringing on my game. However I also feel like I have a chance to win a fair amount of matches as they are all very tight!

What do you hope to achieve in your time playing league in terms of experience and ambitions/future goals?
From playing in Switzerland NLA I hope to improve my standard and matchplay. Also it gives me the chance to play against many international players with different styles. My future goals are to make the top 5 in England and compete more regularly on the Pro Tour!

How have your league matches gone so far and what have you learnt from them?
So far my team has had a mixed start to the season with some good results and some going against us. From this we have learnt how close the matches are in this division and every match counts! We hope to gain experience from a few close defeats and move up into one of the play off positions.

Is there any one player you are looking forward to playing in the league?
Well I always look forward to playing the other English guys in the league and also there are 2 Swedish players who are very strong, I will look forward to playing them too.

What do you think are important skills for players to develop before they look to start trying to compete in a league competition in Europe?
I think the most important thing to focus on is the serve and receive, this normally dictates who gets control of the point at a high level.

Thanks Tom!

Video of the Week 18/11/11

This one straight from the World Junior Championships, a great behind the back shot from Liam Pitchford. Some debate as to whether the shot was clean from the opposition but to me looked fine. Nice shot Liam!

2012 Year of the Dragon

Check out this awesome new pendant from Vinqui Sports Jewellery. I own two of these pendants and they are awesome little accessories for table tennis players. This one caught my eye! It's the new Fantasy Dragon pendant. Table Tennis bad pendant, stirling silver with a single diamond in handle with an 18k gold dragon raised on black onyx. What a great design. Please be sure to check out Vinqui Sports on the left sidebar on my blog!

Vinqui's Fantasy Dragon Pendant

They have a great range of other Table Tennis accessories and of course other sports too. As I said I have two of them already, they really are awesome!

More of the Vinqui Range

Oceania Champion Building Pathway to London

Over the past weeks we have been able to bring our good friend William Henzell into our homes, no not literally, via youtube. Now based in Austria, William (via TTEdge's youtube channel 'tabletennisedge') has been sharing his European experiences with all his supporters. From his first weeks starting off training in the inaugural Werner Schlager Academy in Schwechat, Austria, William shares his experience in returning to the intensity of full time training in Europe.

William's Log #1

William's Log #2

William also elaborates on his performance at the Austrian Open which took place at the Academy, he analyses his abilities throughout the matches and explains the feeling of returning to the Pro Tour and how different it is from his experiences playing in Europe in the past, when he was arguably fitter and faster and of course a bit younger, but for William's sake we won't take that one any further.

William's Log #3

A major point which William makes is how different this intensity is compared to his time spent back in Australia and the real difference between training full time and juggling training with a job. His 3rd video shows some of the physical training which is directed at the WSA.

William's Log #4

This video is centred around gym workout sessions and William gives us some insight into what he is feeling in terms of improvement in speed and movement around the table as a result of the physical programmes.

William's Log #5

The Swedish Open is a familiar competition for William who played in Sweden from a very young age. Here he elaborates on how tough the schedule is becoming between training, competitions and league matches. He also analyses some of his performance at the Swedish Open.

As William anticipates his upcoming team event, the Intercontinental Team Cup in Magdeburg, Germany, he talks about Australia's opponents and where the team stands against them. He specifically spends time speaking about how he will be preparing and what strategies he expects to need and areas he needs to avoid i.e fast open rallies etc where he felt he may be disadvantaged.

William's Log #6

William's final video to date (below) is a reflection of his performance at the World Cup Singles Event in Paris, France. Particularly he shares some of his disappointment with one of his matches which was crucial in his need to win the Event as the result went to set countback. He highlights his win over Gustavo Tsuboi and shares some clips of his matches while he speaks about his performance.

William's Log #7

So there you have it! That's William's journey in Europe to date, some great experience shared and definitely one to keep up to date with. I have really enjoyed this particularly as I myself will be moving to Europe in just over 6 months to train full time in the Czech Republic and I think for any player wanting to move to train overseas these videos have some real value. Best of Luck on your way to 2012 Olympic Qualification William and we will of course be following closely behind!

Image courtesy of ABC Adelaide

Quick Question Time with Patrick Baum

I thought I would start something new and interesting. There are players out there who are performing really well at events and sure, I can interview them one off, but it would be cool to get some feedback from those players more regularly right? When they achieve things etc, like an interview but much smaller. So I thought I could have Quick Question Time sometimes :) Here is my first one with Patrick Baum on his European Champs Silver Medal.

Photo by Christof Koepsel

How does it feel to have won a silver medal at the European Champs a second time?
It was a great feeling for me to win again the silver medal and I was proud to repeat this achievement.

Do you think next year could be the year for you to win gold?
I think it is really tough to win the gold medal because there are a lot of good players in Europe.

How much of a step up is it for you to beat Timo?
For me it is very hard to beat him, because he has a very high safety and quality in his game.

What is your next major event for table tennis and what are you hoping for there?
The next big event will be the World Team Championships in Germany and I am hoping to play a good tournament there.

Patrick vs Timo

European Champs 2011 Final

Wheeling His Way to the Top

The 38th Mitsubishi New Zealand Para National Champs was an eventful day for me and I'd like to take the opportunity to do as I did for the Northland Open and delve into a bit more of a personal perspective. I was the Tournament Manager for the Table Tennis Championships but at the same time I was also there to support two para players I have been involved in coaching this year, wheelchair player Shakti Krishnan and Jacob Phillips who is a standing player. Not only these two but a good friend of mine Victor Kamizona from my old table tennis club in Tauranga who I have known for over a decade was competing. 

Me coaching Shakti at the Para Nationals
Image courtesy of John Tuki

Para table tennis is an area we should really be looking at developing, we have some very talented players and great opportunities to set them on pathways to being successful. The para nationals is a great opportunity for these players to come together in a social atmosphere and play the sport they love. For me I was requested to coach Shakti which I was glad to accept. I had spent quite a bit of time with him trying to help develop his game. He's only 13 years old and incredibly talented, great hand speed and quite agile for a wheelchair player, he has a superb ability to play angles and also to generate a bit more topspin on his shots than the other wheelchair players he had to compete with. I had also spent a lot of time feeding multiball frequently across his middle area to try and strengthen and define his shots across the weaker zone for all wheelchair players. So the groundwork was there for some results and they certainly came.

Players and Admins at the 2011 Mitsubishi Para NZ
Table Tennis Championships

Shakti was able to claw his way back from 3-4 point deficits in each of the 3 sets against his first opponent James Goulding to win 3-0. James is an experienced left hander and was the highest ranked player there on World standings and hence was first seed. It was a great win for Shakti who managed to get a strong focus at the end of each set when it really counted to seal the deal. Shakti also beat Irimana Kingi 3-1, although he struggled in parts to find rhythm he was able to show dominance in that match too. The big match for Shakti was against the defending champion from Otago, a player he hadn't been able to beat before, John Marrable. The match against John was a great match and caught the attention of most of the present spectators. I managed to find some areas for Shakti to exploit and in the 5th and final set, everyone was watching very nervously, probably me most of all as I really wanted him to prove he could win the match. He did manage to with some great tactics and play which left him with one match to go against Brian McLean of North Harbour. Brian is also a very experienced player and was quite to show that out on the table. He played some great wide shots to Shakti's backhand and really took advantage of key strategies which were working for him. For Shakti he was struggling a little to pinpoint the area that I wanted him to serve to and it was costing him. He led a great comeback in the match but Brian held on to win the match 3-2. With all the round robin results finalised it led us to a countback and with his wins over James, Irimana and John, Shakti was the victor and finished in 1st place. It was really satisfying for me for him to gain that result. A 13 year old and a National Champion, I think it needs to be publicised as much as Roger Rao's 2010 win. 

Para New Zealand CEO Fiona Pickering supporting the
table tennis event down at Waikato Stadium
Image courtesy of John Tuki

Jacob performed exceptionally and drew attention to his improvements in the last year, I had numerous comments in that light. With some new serves and much more consistent strokes which I had tried really hard to repeat with him, he had really clicked the week before the competition and was playing much better and finished 4th among the standing players which I was really pleased with. Victor was the champion of the standing players and took home the gold medal, his antispin and long pimples combination no doubt difficult for the other standing players who are often restricted in their offensive strokes. So it was very satisfying to see those 3 guys achieve so much. Shakti combined with John Marrable to win the gold in the wheelchair doubles and Victor won the standing doubles with Ayush Bhatnagar who was the silver medalist in the singles for the standing players and has a very nicely developed technical game and some great shots. 

All in all some great success and a great bunch of people. I would like to thank John Tuki for helping to organise the event and coming over, and of course coaching against me for John Marrable in the crucial match, Henry Redmond for his classification of the players, Fiona Pickering (PNZ CEO) for taking the time to come down and supporting our efforts in the table tennis event, the team managers, Brian Barker specifically for his involvement with NZ Para activites and for me a very important thank you to Chloe Wickman, my liason with Parafed Waikato who has been supporting the players and the event many months prior to it taking place and was great to work with. Thank you all and I hope Para table tennis will really grow further in the years to come!

Zhang Jike on Top of the World Again

With many questions surrounding a lower back injury, Zhang Jike quickly silenced them by claiming the inaugral 2011 Leibherr Men's World Cup title. This is the second time he has shone in a major world event after winning the World Championships in Rotterdam in May. The final was a 6 set affair with 2010 World Cup winner Wang Hao taking on the current World Champion. The defending champion got off on the perfect foot, claiming the first 2 sets in the match, but Zhang Jike clung on and won the next 4 sets to take the title in Paris. With Ma Long on brilliant form and Wang Hao performing at a very high level, Zhang Jike throws himself back into the top of the mix for Olympic Games selection.

World Cup Champion Zhang Jike
Image from Bettor.com

In the bronze medal match it was celebration for Korea as Joo Se Hyuk carried on his wicked form from beating Timo Boll in the quarterfinal to take out another of the world's finest players, Jun Mizutani from Japan. With Joo having less success in major events lately this is a great result for him and a great advert and inspiration again for defensive players around the world.

Here is Joo's quarterfinal match against Timo Boll which he won 4-3.

Thanks to ttCountenance for continuing to provide the best TT videos in such efficient time!

Defender on the Offensive

The Semifinalists are decided for the 2011 Leibherr Table Tennis Men's World Cup. It was disappointment for European fans around the globe who's pinned hopes on Germany's Timo Boll were lost when a determined and on-form Joo Se Hyuk ended Boll's World Cup goals. It was a 7 set showdown which saw one of the world's most reputable and skillful defensive players assert himself against Europe's best. A triumph for Korea which was almost repeated with their 2nd player Oh Sang Eun, his 7 set match was with Japanese star Jun Mizutani who claimed victory in the final set, securing a channel for Japanese supporters going into the semifinals. Both were incredible matches and had viewers around the world on the edges of their seats in the fray of some amazing execution.

World Class Defence from Joo Se Hyuk
Image from Ping Pong Italia

For China it was plain sailing, Wang Hao avenging himself with a 4-1 win over Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov who defeated him in the World Team Cup on home turf in the Germany city of Magdeburg just over a week ago. Certainly Hao didn't look to be taking any chances, looking forward to his task of defending his 2010 title. Ironically his teammate Zhang Jike finds himself aiming for the final on the opposite side of the draw. Mizutani was also a semifinalist in the 2010 competition. So here we see 3 of the 4 semifinalists repeating their elite performance from 2010. Will the result be the same or different? The finalists have the potential to be the same, Mizutani faces Wang Hao this time and we know that although Joo is on form, Zhang Jike has an amazing affinity for playing choppers with impressive leg strength and great touch. It's all down to 2 matches to determine the finalists, be sure to tune in to ITTV!

Brazil's Champion on Comeback for London

Having recently returned from Magdeburg where he contributed to Brazil's win of the Intercontinental Team Cup yet again, Thiago was kind enough to do this interview with me. Having been well into the top 100 players in the world Thiago is now recovered from injury and is looking to get back on form in time to try and qualify for the Olympic Games in London 2012. Thanks Thiago and enjoy reading everyone!

Full Name: Thiago Monteiro
Age: 30 years old
Date of Birth: 15/06/1981
Nation Represented: Brazil
Highest World Ranking: 59 (Sep 2008)

Thiago Monteiro
Image from Eurosport

Equipment Used:
Blade: Cournilleau Hinotec OFF
FH Rubber: Cournilleau Pilot Advance
BH Rubber: Cournilleau Pilot Advance

Career:

How long have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start?
I play for 25 years, I start with my father at age of 5 years old!

Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?
My father was the biggest influence, my first coach and advisor until today!

What does your training schedule for a week period involve?
I practise table tennis twice a day from Monday to Friday and once on Saturday. With 2 or 3 physical sessions during this time. Nowadays I am coming back from injury and it has been a little less than what I would like to.

What is your next big goal for table tennis?
Next big goal is to qualify for London Olympics.

Who has been your biggest rival out on the table since you started playing?
I have had some at every stage of my career. At the beginning some friends in my country who were fighting with me for spot in National Team, then some opponents in international competition.

What do you think is the most important thing in table tennis for becoming a successful player on the international stage? 
There are many things such as discipline, will, intelligence, support from the family. It is impossible to have everything but one need to have some of those to be successful.

Previously you have been well into the top 100 players in the world, is that a position you are fighting strongly to regain?
Yes, I was well but got injured but I am better now and I am practising to be back to my former level as soon as possible. It makes life much easier to have a higher world ranking sometimes.

Why do you think China currently dominate the sport?
Chinese have the best coaches, work harder, study the game, invest a lot. Normal that they are too good, it is very simple actually! They devote their lives to the game and just get back what they deserve.

What is the state of table tennis in Brazil? Do you see table tennis ever becoming a popular sport there?
Table tennis as a hobby is quite a popular sport in Brazil. we are putting a good effort to make it more professional and bring more people to official competition but it takes time. To have the Olympics in 2016 can be a defining moment for us if we do a good job!

Thiago in action
Image from tabletennista

Off the Topic Questions

Who is your favourite sportsperson of all time?
I am not the kind of person who has idols but I like some; such as Ronaldo, Senna from Brazil, Valentino Rossi, Kelly Slater, Jordan. In table tennis I like Waldner, Samsonov, Gatien.

Favourite Food?
I like brazillian barbeque or anything mom cooks when I am home!

What do you do when you aren't playing table tennis?
I read, watch movies, surf on internet. I like to play other sports but I avoid not to get injured.

Dream Car?
Ferarri, Porsche, Lamborghini or some nice car of that style

Ideal Holiday Destination
Fortazela, which is my hometown in Brazil, or any place with hot weather. Hot water beaches and a nice night life!

First thing you would do if you won $1 million?
I would not change my life much if I had 1 million. I like what I do so my life would be pretty much the same and I would actually think of a way to make this money work for me so I never need to work anymore!

Your Team Mates

Who is the funniest player in the training hall?
From the players I have spent time with I would say my good friend Thommy Keinath

Who trains the hardest? 
When you practice with professional players they all train hard, that is not really a problem!

Who has the best nickname?
The best nickname it is the one that Hi Zhiwen has from Spain. He is kindly called Juanito.

And Lastly

Would you like to add one last tip, or inspirational message for other players looking to succeed?
Enjoy life and have fun!!!

What comes after 10-0?

We have, most of us, been in the situation of being up 10-0 in a game. What comes after 10-0? 11-0 or 10-1? Are you merciful or strictly professional? How do you view winning a game 11-0? Is it a psychological advantage for you, a way of crushing your opponent for the rest of the match? Do you respect your opponents too much to do it? Will it reflect badly on you for doing so? It is interesting to see the widespread opinion and values on demolishing opponents without a glimpse at a point coming their way. I took the liberty of asking a few players what their thoughts were on winning 11-0 against opponents. For me personally I don't do it very often at all. There would be two occasions:


A) I have a point to prove, someone has either beaten me 11-0 or someone has really done something to annoy me in a match.
B) There is a bounty on the line, i.e in Waikato if you beat someone 11-0 they have to buy you a box of beer. Among friends where there is no disrespect intended etc.

Image from TableTennisTalk

What do others think?:


'Nothing special...that is part of the game, no more, no less' Thiago Monteiro, Brazil National Mens Team


'Generally I don't like, I give one point' Gionis Panagiotis, Greek National Mens Team


'I think there is no reason to give a point, if you are much better and can win like this, then do it. From my own experience I was 10-0 down and he gave me a point and I won the set 12-10. But anyway most of the time I give a point, especially for the players I respect, but I only do it because the other players will have not so good opinion about me if I don't' Hunor Szocs, Romanian National Mens Team


'In many ways it is more disrespectful to give away a point than to win 11-0. I'm not fussed either way. I've heard National Team players who think it's bad karma to win 11-0 but I'll stay on the fence' William Henzell, Oceania Champion


'I think you should win 11-0 if you can do it. If somebody had 10-0 on me I want to win a point, not get given one.' Hampus Soderlund, Ranked 11 Swedish Mens on World Rankings


'I think you should always try and beat players as easily as possible! Obviously if they really don't have a chance and can't really play then I would say not to. If they are decent then it's about getting ready for other matches and you shouldn't give any points away' Liam Pitchford, English Number 1


'Many players will give one point if it's 10-0, then it will end 11-1. I have never had this decision because I was never leading 10-0 so I don't know' Patrick Baum, Finalist 2010 and 2011 European Champs


'I prefer to lose 11-0 as if I win 11-0 he will have more respect about me. Some players give one point but sometimes this is not so nice so I would prefer to lose 11-0' Abdel-Kader Salifou, 2005 French Junior Champion


'I think it's something to show your supremacy, and I hate it when your opponent gives you the point when it's 10-0 for him' Quentin Robinot, 2009 European Youth Champion

Is 11-0 a good thing or a bad thing?
Image from China Digital Times

So that's the some mixed opinion for you. As for me, I know at least one player who would be happy to receive a point when down 10-0, and that's Adam Bobrow :)


Special thanks Matt Solt for the starting idea.

Finals an All Asia Affair but Mortal Wound for China?

In heated semi finals at the Leibherr Men's World Team Cup, 3-1 was the victorious score for both the advancing teams of China and Korea. China positioning themselves to claim the World Cup and reinforce their global dominance in their national sport of table tennis. For Korea the singles were all in their favour, though Ryu Seung Min was only just able to overcome Japan's Yoshida Kaii in a 5th set showdown. Japan were able to show some force in their young doubles combination of Koki Niwa and Kenta Matsudaira who defeated Ryu and partner Oh Sang Eun by a 3-1 margin. With the absence of Jun Mizuntani and Seiya Kishikawa, no doubt Japan's finest players, it was always going to be a challenge for the young team to overcome the experience and skill of Korea and as expected the 2nd seeds advanced to the final.

For China it was plain sailing with 3/4 matches being won by China 3-0. However one match went in favour of Germany 3-1, it was a spectacle in itself and a show of force from young European star Dimitrij Ovtcharov who toppled the world number 2 Wang Hao. In the absence of Timo Boll it was an amazing effort and no doubt leaves the Chinese wounded. In this World Cup, 2 of China's most successful players; Ma Lin and Wang Hao, have been defeated by European players. An interesting turn of events which I hope will inspire Europe to aim for this achievements and show that Chinese players can be beaten by those who work and play hard.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov beats Wang Hao 3-1
Image from Time Magazine

As for China and Korea, they face off in the mens final. Will Korea be able to make an impression? We will wait with anticipation to see. No doubt the games, as usual, will be incredible in standard and performance.

End of the Road for Ma Lin?

For the 3rd time at an ITTF event in 2011, Ma Lin the current World Number 5 has been unseated, and not by his Chinese team mates, by yet another rising European star. For favourites China in the 2011 World Team Cup in Magdeburg, Germany it was all expected to be plain sailing, but a strong and determined Russian team presented itself. Kirill Skachkov was the man to draw first blood and Ma Lin was the victim. With a lethal combination of offensive shots and an aptitude for high risk attacks, Skachkov seemed to have an answer for everything. With some amazing 3rd ball backhand attacks wide to the forehand of the Chinese star, Ma Lin seemed to be looking defeat in the face from the word go.

Will it be silence for Ma Lin?
Image from Beijing Games Site

For Skachkov this is a huge result, training and representing TTF Leibherr Ochsenhausen, the same club repped by another successful and rising European player, Liam Pitchford. For Ochsenhausen this is a huge success and boost for their reputation.

So where does this leave Ma Lin? Can the Chinese team maintain faith in the experienced Olympic Champion? With solid forces in Zhang Jike and Ma Long and with Wang Hao still in top shape, is there still a place for Ma Lin in the Chinese team? My answer is potentially not. With 3 losses to European players, two of which (Quentin Robinot and Alexey Liventsov) were ranked outside 100th in the mens at the time on the ITTF ratings, China can't really rely on Ma Lin to perform. Insight will be clear if China continue through the World Cup and we will see whether Ma Lin is elected to play or is left to warm the bench. Certainly the Russians are showing a great fight, the doubles combination of Kuzmin and Skachkov off to a brilliant start. Keep an eye on this space!

Australian Women Triumph at Intercontinental Cup Team Event

With a series of outstanding results it was the Australian Women's team of Jian Fang Lay, Miao Miao, Claire Campbell-Innes and Michelle Beaumont who clenched the Intercontinental Team Cup, making history for Oceania in the short four year life of the event. It is the first time an Oceania team has triumphed at the Intercontinental Cup in either teams or individuals. The experience of Jian Fang Lay and Miao Miao was undeniably instrumental in carrying the team with Fang Lay not taking any chances, winning her singles matches in straight sets against their three opponents (Venezuela, Canada, Nigeria).

Jian Fang Lay instrumental to the team's victory
Image from Zimbio

For the Australians they can return home happy with victory. For the men's team it was 3rd place with a win over Canada but the team of Robert Frank, David Powell and Trent Carter led by the experienced William Henzell were unable to beat the more dominant forces of Egypt and Brazil. Henzell even falling to Egypt's Omar Assar who is currently training at Falkenberg TTC, Sweden's most reputable training venue. Experience gained and all those players will be back to training in the build up for the Oceania Olympic Qualifications to take place early next year.

Blog News 2/10/11

Had a few interviews lately with some class players but so many interviews still out there to come back to me, really hoping some of them come back soon. These are the people I have lined up and have sent interviews to, who have agreed to do them.

Dan Ives: Creator of Table Tennis Daily

Shona Cudby: TTNZ life member and legendary administrator

Alexander Franzen: Rising Swedish junior player

Soo Yeon Lee: US coach, Korean model and table tennis player

Biba Golic: ESPN's sexiest woman in sport 2005 and Anna Kournikova of table tennis

Margarita Pesotska: 2 time European Youth Champion and bronze medalist at this years Euro champs

Daniela Dodean: Highly ranked (top 40) Romanian table tennis player

Sharath Kamal Achanta: Commonwealth gold medalist on multiple occasions in singles and doubles

Thiago Monteiro: Brazilian number 1, formerly top 100 in the world

Tiago Apolonia: Portugese number 1, Austrian Open 2010 winner

Adrien Mattenet: French number 1, member of the Europe team in the EuroAsia Cup

Peter Jackson: TTNZ Hall of Fame player and multiple NZ Open Champion

Steffen Fetzner: Former German table tennis player, doubles partner of Jorg Rosskopf

So with plenty of interviews out there not coming back to me, I'm still trying to publish interesting content. My latest was an idea by Matt Solt where I am asking professional players what their opinion is on winning sets 11-0 against opponents. I am also doing a short interview with Liam Pitchford on his new English #1 status and with Patrick Baum about his second silver medal in a row at the European Championships.

Tiago Apolonia
Image Courtesy of ETTU