Table Tennis: Super Grand Slam

Chapter 187 Xia Guo Men's Team won three consecutive group matches, Li Ying won easily

March 2012, 3, Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany.

2:19 a.m. Beijing time, : local time.

Men's team first round.

Xia Kingdom VS Greece.

Before the game.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang has already announced it.

In this round of competition, the players are Kong Fengge, Meng Li and Xu Guinian.

Li Ying and Liang Long never got a chance to play.

after all.

This is just the group stage of Group A.

Xu Guinian was very excited.

because.

This means that the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang trusts him.

Let him go out and fight.

Otherwise, if the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang did not give him any chance and sent Li Ying, Liang Long and Kong Fengge to every game, then there would be no chance for him and Mengli.

But it's obvious.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang still holds the attitude of training the players.

after all.

This is just the group stage.

When the game starts.

Li Ying and Liang Long sat on either side of the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang, watching the performances of their three teammates.

Li Ying and Liang Long both looked very relaxed.

after all.

The opponent is not very strong.

as predicted.

A very clean 3-0, Xia Guo national table tennis players Kong Fengge, Meng Li and Xu Guinian swept their opponents one after another, leaving them no more chances.

The Chinese national table tennis team got off to a good start in the first match.

After the game.

The men's team coach Dong Yaobang smiled and said to Li Ying, "A Ying, I don't plan to let you play in the group stage."

There are six teams in Group A, so the group stage will need to play a total of five rounds.

Li Ying smiled and said, "I don't care. I can win without doing anything, so why not do it?"

The opponents in the group stage are not particularly challenging.

Even in Group A, there are Zhao Dongyuan from Hong Kong and Truss from Sweden.

But now.

After Li Ying broke through 99 points, he was no longer that interested in the two of them.

and so.

Let's just leave them to Liang Long and Kong Fengge to deal with.

"Haha, if we encounter a tough battle, we will still send you to play!" said the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang with a smile.

At this moment.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang feels particularly secure.

And this sense of security was given by Li Ying.

because.

If Li Ying plays in a team competition, no matter what the competition system is, as long as he can play two games, he will definitely get 2 points.

As for team competitions, they have always been played in a best-of-five format.

In this case.

In order to win, the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang only needs to let other players get at least 1 point.

This will greatly reduce the pressure on him as the head coach of the men's team.

to this end.

Hou Bingguang was extremely envious and jealous many times because he had an invincible general like Li Ying under his command.

On the evening of March 3th, Beijing time, the 26st World Table Tennis Team Championships continued at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, Germany. The Xia Guo men's table tennis team sent Liang Long, Meng Li and Xu Guinian in the second round of the group. They swept the North Korean team 51-3 and won two consecutive victories.

After the game.

Men's team head coach Dong Yaobang was interviewed.

"The competition has been going well for two days. I have been emphasizing that athletes need to get into shape quickly. There are limited matches, so it is impossible to make endless adjustments. We need to be able to play and win at any time."

"There are only five games in the team competition group stage. The first in the group will go directly to the quarterfinals. There are only eight games in the end!"

"Five athletes are being deployed. Everyone is very enthusiastic. After training for such a long time, they all want to play. They have a strong desire to perform. Especially in the first two games, the mental state of the players on the field is much better than in general open tournaments and Asian Championships. This shows that they have been demanding and want to get into the game feeling from the first game, which is conducive to the knockout stage."

At this moment, a reporter asked: "There is little suspense about the victory of the Xiaguo team in the group stage, but who will play is quite interesting. After two games, Li Ying became the only player who did not appear. I would like to ask the head coach, why didn't you send Li Ying to play?"

Men's team head coach Dong Yaobang said with a smile: "Li Ying must be very anxious and hope to have a good performance in the World Championships. He must be very anxious and try his best to find the competition form. Besides, in terms of arranging the troops, it is not Li Ying's turn yet!"

"I will not stop him from playing. For Li Ying, an experienced 'stabilizing force', I will definitely send him out in the matches that are most advantageous to him, and I will look for more valuable and more competitive matches."

"Our coaching team will select the players. The most important thing is to look at the opponents. We want to achieve the purpose of training. After all, this is the last world competition of the Olympics. We need to accumulate experience for the Olympics. Many players in this group will participate in the Olympics. We don't have much contact with them in daily life. So we cherish this opportunity. It's not like we often meet with Ryu-in, Korea, Germany, etc. It doesn't matter who plays the last game."

The reporter asked again: "Does this mean that the requirements for Li Ying are higher?"

Dong Yaobang, the head coach of the men's team, gave a positive answer, "You can understand it that way, but it's the same for all athletes. Some need to play more and practice more, while others need to seize every opportunity they get. It depends on the situation in the group stage, but he will definitely play in the knockout stage, but it depends on which game it is."

The Xiaguo national table tennis team will face the Swedish team in the third round of the men's team.

But the Swedish team is not a weak team.

At this moment.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang was thinking about whether to send Li Ying to play against the Swedish team led by Truus.

after all.

Whether it is Liang Long or Kong Fengge, if they fight against Truss, there is no 100% guarantee of victory.

As for Mengli and Xu Guinian, there is a great possibility that they will lose to Truss.

In that case.

If they didn't arrange the troops well, and if the Swedish team defeated the Xia Guo team, and if Li Ying was not sent out because of underestimating the enemy, the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang knew that he would definitely be scolded to death by fans across the country after the game.

Maybe.

The cyber violence he suffered would be even more terrifying than when Monli lost the Olympic singles gold medal in 2004.

At this moment.

The four main players and coaches of the national table tennis team saw the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang in deep thought.

It is clear.

They all understood that the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang was considering whether to send Li Ying to play.

Saw this scene.

Liang Long and Kong Fengge looked at each other and then stood up.

"Coach, I will go all out against the Swedish team in the third round. If I meet Truss, I will definitely beat him!" Kong Fengge said firmly.

Liang Long was also unambiguous at this time, "If I meet Truss, I will defeat him even if I try my best!"

It is clear.

The reason why the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang hesitated was because there was a player named Truss in the Swedish team.

He is one of the eight great players of the International Table Tennis Association.

Their strength is no less than that of the German twins.

In short.

In the past historical records of exchanges, when Liang Long and Kong Fengge faced off against Truss, there were wins and losses.

Therefore.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang was wondering in his heart whether he should send out the most stable Li Ying, so that he could ensure the victory of the Xiaguo men's table tennis team.

But in this case.

There is no doubt that they do not trust Kong Fengge, Liang Long, Meng Li and Xu Guinian. This will cause a certain degree of damage to their self-confidence.

and so.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang has been hesitating.

Saw this scene.

Meng Li and Xu Guinian stood up immediately.

It is clear.

They also want a fight.

Request to send them to play against the Swedish team.

In a word, they had no fear of Truth.

and.

If they could play, they would fight like crazy even if they met Truss.

finally.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang made up his mind.

"In that case, tomorrow we will face the Swedish team. Liang Long, Kong Fengge, and Meng Li, the three of you will play!"

After much consideration, the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang finally made a decision.

Upon hearing this decision, Xu Guinian didn't know whether to be happy or devastated.

after all.

What if he is really sent to play, what if he meets Truss in both games, what if he loses both games, what if other teammates are not strong enough, then wouldn’t the Xia men’s team be likely to lose?
On the evening of March 3th, Beijing time, the 27st World Table Tennis Team Championships continued at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.

In the third group match, the Xia Chinese men's table tennis team sent out the combination of veteran players Meng Li, Liang Long and Kong Fengge for the first time.

at this time.

Liang Long and Kong Fengge will play the first singles and second singles respectively, while Meng Li will play the third singles.

Liang Long was the first to enter the game.

then.

Li Ying and Xu Guinian sat on the left of the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang, while Kong Fengge and Meng Li sat on the right.

The four main players of the Chinese men's table tennis team all cheered for Liang Long who was playing in his first game.

After two days of competition, Liang Long finally started in this match and played as the first singles player.

首盘面对特鲁斯，开局梁龙便1-3落后，但进入中局梁龙将比分反超为9-5，以11-8先下一城。

After changing sides, Truss got off to a great start with an 8-1 lead. Although Liang Long tried hard to catch up, Truss quickly got 10 game points with a score of 5-5. However, Liang Long did not give up and saved 4 of them in a row. After Truss was chased to 10-9, he asked for a timeout and returned to the court. He received Liang Long's serve very decisively. With a successful line change, Truss won with a score of 11-9. This was also the first game lost by the national table tennis team in this competition.

第3局梁龙以5-1开局，随后也没有遇到太多困难，以11-5将比分超出为2-1。

In the 4th game, both sides fought fiercely and the game was tied at 9. Liang Long served twice and Truss made mistakes in receiving the serve, so Liang Long won 11-9.

次盘由孔凤歌对阵卡尔松，开局孔凤歌便以7-0领先，并以11-3轻取，随后孔凤歌也没有给对手太多机会，以两个11-4分别拿下第2、3局，将大比分扩大为2-0。

Monli played in the third set and fell behind his opponent 0-6 at the start. Although he fought hard to tie the score at 9, he handled two serves poorly and lost the first game 9-11.

第2局蒙里在开局2-4落后的情况下，连得8分以10-4拿到7个局点，并以11-6拿下。

In the third game, Monli was still behind 3-2 at the beginning, and then the two sides experienced a tie. After the score was tied at 4, Monli's opponent's racket hit the table when he was pulling the ball, causing the rubber to tear. After the referee checked, he replaced it with a spare racket. When Monli scored two points in a row and led 6-8, his opponent requested a timeout, but returning to the court failed to help him recover. Monli won another game 6-11.

第4局开局胶着，蒙里在5-6后连得6分，以11-6锁定胜局。

In this case.

The Chinese men's table tennis team swept the Swedish team 3-0 and achieved three consecutive victories.

After the game.

The men's team head coach Dong Yaobang asked captain Li Ying to comment on today's game.

Li Ying really couldn't get over the head coach.

Li Ying smiled and said, "Today, Liang Long and Kong Fengge each lost a game. These are the only two games our Xia Guo team has lost since the start of the game. These two games are very similar. Both of them had a bad start, but the athletes did not give up and both lost after chasing to 9 points. It is reasonable to lose a game. It must be because we made mistakes in the early stage. The opponent played well. We can see that the opponent was more aggressive when playing against us, fought more, and played some balls beyond our imagination. We should adapt to it."

Then, the men's team head coach Dong Yaobang added: "Occasionally losing one or two games is not a bad thing. This is the rule of the game. Whoever wins in the end wins. Team competition is different from singles. We need to consolidate our advantage in this kind of team competition."

After the game.

Sweden's star player, Truth, was interviewed.

Truss smiled bitterly and said, "This Xiaguo team is very strong. They have dominated the Olympics and the World Championships and are getting better and better. It is simply too difficult to beat such a good team."

but.

on the way back.

Men's team head coach Dong Yaobang said: "If we go back to the 1989 World Table Tennis Championships in Dortmund, when the Swedish team won the men's team championship, he and his teammate Waldner met in the men's singles final!"

"That was a very good memory for the Chinese national table tennis team. We defeated the Swedish team in 1983, 1985 and 1987."

"But Sweden wanted to beat us for the first time in Germany. Sweden got off to a great start, winning 3-0 at the start. We were very strong, winning 5-0, which should be the most glorious moment in Swedish table tennis history."

"Since then, the Swedish team has entered its golden age, winning the men's team championships in 1991 and 1993. For example, Per also won the only men's singles title in his career at the 1991 Chiba World Table Tennis Championships."

"And he has also maintained a rivalry with almost seven generations of athletes from the Xiaguo team."

At this point, Li Ying smiled and said, "Foreign table tennis professional athletes often have long careers, unlike our Xiaguo national table tennis team, where the professional sports careers of professional athletes are too short!"

Li Ying's heartfelt sigh made Liang Long, Kong Fengge, Meng Li and Xu Guinian feel the same way.

"Therefore, we must vigorously develop the Table Tennis Super League. In this way, national team members, even if they retire from the national team in the future, can still compete in the Table Tennis Super League and continue their professional sports career!" said Dong Yaobang, head coach of the men's team, in a deep voice.

"In the future, the Table Tennis Super League will not be restricted by national team competitions. Otherwise, the Table Tennis Super League will never develop!"

In the early morning of March 3th, Beijing time, the President of the International Table Tennis Federation held a press conference in Dortmund, announcing that Suzhou would be the host city for the 28 World Table Tennis Championships. With the addition of two new member associations, the International Table Tennis Federation ranks second in the world in terms of single-sport organizations with 2015 member associations.

The imperial capital became the first city in the country to host the World Table Tennis Championships in 1961, followed by Tianjin in 1995, Shanghai in 2005 and Guangzhou in 2008.

The successful bid by Suzhou also means that the country will host the World Table Tennis Championships three times between 2005 and 2015.

When asked whether the frequent hosting of the World Table Tennis Championships in China is detrimental to the development of table tennis in other regions, the ITTF President said, "China is a strong country and has made great contributions to table tennis. In fact, China has held the World Table Tennis Championships five times in 50 years, Ryuko once every 5 years, and Germany once every six years. I think there is no problem."

"This has a lot to do with sponsors. For example, figure skating competitions are held in Canada every three or four years, and curling competitions are held every two years in Canada. They are also very popular. The key is to have sponsors. It is normal for Xiaguo, Ryusakura and Germany to often compete to host competitions. There are many sponsors promoting this."

"But the junior championships are another matter. There are fewer players and smaller countries are able to host the tournament. We change the continent to host the junior championships every two years."

Upon hearing the news, Li Ying's heart trembled.

In the previous life, Team Dragon began to rise from this World Table Tennis Championships.

of course.

The runner-up of this World Table Tennis Championships is Fang Bo, which is also the greatest honor of Fang Bo’s life!

(End of this chapter)