The Chengdu Table Tennis Mixed Team World Cup is about to stage a high-profile matchup, with the Chinese national table tennis team taking on the Japanese team. Previously, many fans considered these two teams to be the favourites for the top two. However, Japan have now lost 4-8 to South Korea and are likely to be left in contention for third place if they lose to China. Although the game has not yet begun, fans have already started to buzz with a special focus on how the coaching staff of both sides will arrange their lineups. Now let's dive in! The first is the lineup arrangement of the Chinese team.
China's starting line-up is likely to be a mixed doubles combination of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha. There are three reasons for this decision: first, they are the strongest mixed doubles pair in the Chinese team at the moment, and the odds are greater; Secondly, the Chinese team has always had a tradition of taking the lead and getting off to a good start, and it is unlikely that they will easily lose the first set; In addition, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha are almost certain to participate in the Paris Olympics, so this match against Japan is a good opportunity to practice.
If they didn't play, the mixed doubles male player would probably be Lin Gaoyuan, and his partner might be Wang Manyu or Wang Yidi, but based on the above three points of analysis, I personally think that the coaching staff is less likely to arrange this way. In the upcoming women's singles and men's singles matches, the Chinese team is also likely to favor potential players. If Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha have already played in the mixed doubles, they will not be able to participate in the singles match according to the rules. Therefore, Fan Zhendong is more likely to play in the men's singles game than Ma Long, who is more likely to be than Lin Gaoyuan.
As for the women's singles, the situation is relatively complicated, but in general, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng are more likely to play than Wang Yidi. On the one hand, because the first two are currently ahead of Wang Yidi in the Olympic selections, and on the other hand, Wang Yidi has lost to the Japanese four times this year, and unless the coaching staff still wants to continue to develop her at this critical time, it should be unlikely that she will be put on the court.
As for Wang Manyu and Chen Meng, each has its own advantages, Wang Manyu lost to Diaz not long ago, and Chen Meng's problem is that he is older and his form is not very stable, but considering that there may be a need for a double competition, I personally prefer Wang Manyu. Next, let's analyze the lineup of the Japanese team. Compared with the Chinese table tennis team, the arrangement of the Japanese team is more complicated. Because we are in an advantageous position, we have a good chance of winning no matter how we arrange it, and it will be difficult for Japan to win if they don't put a little effort into it.
Japan's first set-up may be to completely let go of the water and send a few players on the court at random, although this is unlikely. Because they didn't plan to participate in this competition, although they signed up later, Ito and others were not very interested. However, this article does not discuss this situation, but analyzes it from the perspective of the Japanese team's desire to win. Personally, I think that if the Japanese team takes it seriously, there are roughly three layout plans.
The first is the conservative version, with mixed doubles featuring Hayasuke Togami and Miwa Haramoto, Hina Hayada in women's singles, Tomokazu Haramoto in men's singles, Miwa Haramoto and Miyu Kihara in women's doubles, and Tomokazu Haramoto and Hayasuke Togami in men's doubles. The second is the aggressive version, the mixed doubles is Tomokazu Haramoto and Hina Hayata, the women's singles is Miwa Haramoto, the men's singles is Hayasuke Togami, the women's doubles is Miwa Haramoto and Miyu Kihara, and the men's doubles is skipped (because according to the regulations, the number of athletes in the male and female competitions must be the same, so in this case, Tomokazu Haramoto and Hayasuke Togami can only partner with other teammates, and there is basically no chance of winning).
The third is a compromise version, with Tomokazu Haramoto and Hina Hayada in mixed doubles, Miu Hirano or Miyu Kihara in women's singles, Hayasuke Togami in men's singles, and Miwa Haramoto and Miyu Kihara in women's doubles, and the same in men's doubles as the second. The advantage of the conservative version of the plan is that it is conservative and steady, and while trying to secure the two singles matches, it is hoped that the mixed doubles and women's doubles can create miracle victories, and the men's doubles is actually improvised. The radical version of the plan is not as robust as the first, mainly hoping to use the recent progress of Miwa Zhang and Hayasuke Togami to disrupt the rhythm of the Chinese table tennis team.
As for the compromise version, it is naturally more uncertain than the conservative version, but at the same time it is more stable than the aggressive version. Of course, the flip side is that it is not as stable as the conservative version, and it is not as capable of miracles as the radical version. Overall, the key to the current selection of the Japanese coaching staff lies with Miwa Zhangmoto. If they think that Zhang Benmeihe's impact on the Chinese table tennis team in women's singles has surpassed that of Hina Hayata, then it is undoubtedly more advantageous to choose the aggressive version; But if she feels that she is not enough, then Hina Hayada will most likely still be placed in the women's singles position.
The top two athletes in Japan's Olympic selection are Hina Hayada and Miu Hirano, while Miwa Zhangmoto's chances of competing are slim. Therefore, it is likely that Miu Hirano, who is in excellent form and strong, will be allowed to participate in the women's singles competition. In general, the decision on the arrangement of the Chinese and Japanese teams is in the hands of the coach, not the author, so the above analysis is for reference only. What is certain is that the coaches of both teams will consider the line-up in four aspects: the quality and condition of the players, the record against the opponent, the level of doubles cooperation, and matters related to the Olympics.
Now let's guess what kind of lineup the Chinese and Japanese teams will send! Feel free to leave a message below to share your thoughts, and then we'll wait and see who is the most accurate!