3-2！Lin Gaoyuan eliminated Ma Long, raised his arms and roared to celebrate, and met Fan Zhendong in the semifinals.
On January 4, 2023, the WTT Doha Men's Finals Men's Singles 1 4 finals staged a classic showdown of the national table tennis civil war, Lin Gaoyuan eliminated the world's No. 1 opponent with a thrilling score of 3-2 in the five-game battle with Ma Long, becoming the only unseeded player in the semifinals, and his next round opponent is Fan Zhendong. This game fully demonstrated Lin Gaoyuan's strength and progress, but also made Ma Long feel regret and loss, although he equalized twice, but in the end he could not prevent Lin Gaoyuan's victory. This is a game worth remembering and learning, let's review the wonderful moments of the game together.
At the beginning of the game, Lin Gaoyuan showed strong aggression and self-confidence, he did not give Ma Long any chance, but took the initiative to launch a fierce attack, his first three boards played very stable and accurate, while Ma Long seemed a little slow and hesitant, his mistakes were obviously more than Lin Gaoyuan, Lin Gaoyuan quickly achieved a huge advantage of 10-3, Ma Long could only save a game point, Lin Gaoyuan easily won the first game 11-4, giving Ma Long a heavy blow.
In the second game, Ma Long began to counterattack, he adjusted his serve and forehand, played more actively and actively, his attack was very powerful, Lin Gaoyuan began to make some mistakes, Ma Long scored consecutive points in the middle of the game, leading 8-3, although Lin Gaoyuan recovered two points, but Ma Long did not give him any chance, 11-5 pulled back a game, equalized the score.
In the third game, Lin Gaoyuan once again showed his strength, his return was very good, his attack was fast, Ma Long was a little passive, Lin Gaoyuan scored three points in a row after a 3-3 draw, leading 6-3, his condition was very good, and his punch roar expressed his passion. Ma Long did not give up, he improved his twisting quality, quickly caught up with the score, Lin Gaoyuan's pick mistake, let Ma Long overtake 9-8, Lin Gaoyuan did not panic, he scored three points in a row, won another game 11-9, and led 2-1.
In the fourth game, Ma Long launched a counterattack again, his forehand attack was very strong, Lin Gaoyuan was a little unable to cope, Ma Long started with 5-1, although Lin Gaoyuan recovered two points, but Ma Long's forehand threat was too great, Lin Gaoyuan could not effectively defend, Ma Long led 8-3, Lin Gaoyuan scored three points in a row, approaching the point difference, Ma Long immediately asked for a timeout, he needed to adjust his state, in the case of the national table tennis civil war, there is no off-court guidance, can only rely on himself. After returning from the timeout, Malone scored to stop the bleeding, and Lin Gaoyuan saved two game points, and Malone won the game 11-9 and dragged the game into a deciding game.
In the decisive game, Lin Gaoyuan scored four points in a row at the beginning, his offensive speed and strength were amazing, Ma Long was a little passive, Lin Gaoyuan chose to pause after losing a point, he needed to stabilize his mentality, Ma Long chased to 3-4, Lin Gaoyuan scored to stop the bleeding, at the critical moment, Lin Gaoyuan scored continuously, withstood the pressure, won the game 11-6, won the victory with a total score of 3-2, and advanced to the semifinals, his performance was very good, worthy of congratulations.
In this game, Lin Gaoyuan's performance was indeed better, whether it was the attack of the first three boards, or the ability to adjust after losing points in a row, it showed his strength and progress, and his mentality was also very good, he was not affected by Ma Long's fame and ranking, but gave full play to his characteristics and advantages, and his victory was well deserved. Although Ma Long lost, but there is nothing to be ashamed of, his counterattack is also wonderful, his forehand and twist are very powerful, his experience and psychology are also very strong, although he equalized twice, but in the end he was unable to prevent Lin Gaoyuan's victory, which also shows the overall strength and competitiveness of national table tennis, this is a high-level game, but also a friendly game, both players showed their style and level, but also brought us a wonderful visual feast, let us applaud them, Also cheer for the national table tennis.