December 17th.
After the first half of the game is over, it's the turn of the second half.
In fact, although there was a civil war between Luo Jiu and Sun Tianlong in the first half, fans agreed before the game that the second half was the real group of death.
Because the composition of this group is like a microcosm of today's table tennis world. There are not only the table tennis overlord Chinese Table Tennis Association player Wang Chao, but also representatives of the world's most important anti-China associations, namely Bay Island Lin Zijun, Brazilian Hook, and German Bayer.
They are representatives from Asia, America and Europe respectively.
More importantly, theoretically speaking, the three players other than Huaping have the possibility of defeating Wang Chao based on their paper strength.
Therefore, compared to just watching the excitement in the first half, when the second half begins, fans all over the world have clear supporters in their hearts.
Even Chinese fans are also on tenterhooks, because competitive sports are like this. Those with advantages feel that the advantage is not big enough, while those with disadvantages feel that there is a chance of an upset. Unless it is a completely clear game like Sun Tianlong and Zhang Benkuang, otherwise, everyone must feel that they have both opportunities and dangers.
But when the fight actually starts, the advantages and disadvantages of victory and defeat are actually quite obvious.
The first one to start is Wang Chao vs Bayer.
These two people have only met twice in history, but they are very destined. Bayer can even be regarded as a noble person in Wang Chao's career.
Hong Kong Open at the beginning of the year is still fresh in the memory of many fans. At that time, the European Table Tennis Federation wanted to target Wang Chao to death. Bayer, who appeared with a secret mission, played well in half the game, but in the end he failed. Wang Chao was not willing to die, but instead helped Wang Chao to find many omissions in himself. Then Wang Chao corrected the omissions on the spot and became a better version of himself, which fully verified the saying: What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger.
It can be said that Wang Chao's second super evolution was given by Bayer.
But it's not over yet.
Not long ago, the duel between World Table Tennis Championships, Wang Chao and Luo Jiu was very popular, but Wang Chao's technical performance was seriously messed up due to the new acquisition of Superconductor racket. At this time, it was Bayer again stood up and used his lavish skills to oppress Wang Chao from all angles and from all angles, forcing Wang Chao to fully adapt to Superconductor racket as quickly as possible under high pressure and become a better version of himself again.
Considering that the exclusive racket itself is an indispensable part of a player's skills, this time can barely be regarded as the third super evolution of Wang Chao, also thanks to Bayer.
What a coincidence, isn't it?
In fact, there is necessity in accident. The reason why Bayer can always play a key role at critical moments is because he is actually the one who has gone the furthest on the road of technical flow among all non-Chinese associations players.
He himself does not have any talent, and his ability to dominate Europe for more than ten years depends solely on his skills. However, Wang Chao happens to be a master of technology. There are only two people in the world who can compete with Wang Chao in terms of skills, one is Sun Tianlong and the other is Bayer.
Sun Tianlong is too strong, and Wang Chao cannot withstand it. In addition, Huaping has the rules of Kings do not meet kings. Therefore, in today's world table tennis world, after screening to the end, the only one left that can serve as a whetstone and stepping stone for Wang Chao is Bayer.
Lin Zijun No, although he is a genius, he relies on speed.
Neither can Hook. Although he is a genius, he relies on his body for food.
So you see, Mr. Lu Xun is quite right when he says that all encounters in this world are reunions after a long separation and are destined to happen again.
What? Wasn't that what Lu Xun said? Not that last sentence? Oh, it doesn't matter, you know what I mean.
In short, this is the third meeting between Wang Chao and Bayer in the world arena.
But Wang Chao no longer needs to evolve.
He has evolved to the extreme.
So in just 32 minutes, he swept Bayer 4:0.
This is also normal.
We are all engaged in technology. I am younger than you, I can run faster than you, I have better stamina than you, I have stronger explosive power than you, and I have a finer touch than you. So, when you meet me, it is naturally like meeting Sun Tianlong. Every parameter of the hexagonal personal parameter indicator is shorter than me. What are you going to fight with me for?
Little Sun Tianlong is naturally no match for Sun Tianlong.
But if you exclude the age factor and the issue of debut, and just look at the technical and tactical characteristics of both parties, Bayer can actually be called "little Wang Chao".
Little Wang Chao is naturally no match for Wang Chao.
After the match, thousands of people across Europe were in silence. Even though many people were still excited and looking forward to the next series of battles, there was deep despair deep in their hearts.
The European Troika, Germany, Sweden, and England, who have been secretly fighting, have all been eliminated.
The most despairing thing is that they still can't see any hope.
The strength shown by the players Olympic Games and Men's Singles from Huaping this time is as if everyone is not playing the same game.
Wang Chao, Luo Jiu, Sun Tianlong, any one of these three people can defeat the whole world, but now, three people appear in front of the whole world at the same time.
There is Fan Xiaodong watching from behind.
So when the last 8-4 game started, Lin Zijun vs Hook, many European fans were still immersed in this complicated emotion.
But the fans at the scene were excited at this time.
Because this is Mexico, which belongs to North America, and Brazil belongs to South America. We all belong to the Americas, one south and one north, connected by the same breath and separated by a strip of water. The local Mexican fans support Hook unconditionally.
With Huaping showing such awe-inspiring power, and with Europe being the world's second strongest table tennis player all eliminated, Hook, as the only young player from the Americas, does not need to face Huaping. He only needs to defeat Bay Island, who is in a small place, to reach the semi-finals and become the only non-Chinese player among the semi-finals.
Of course, the semi-finals are not a great honor, but if they stand side by side with the three strongest giants in the history of Chinese table tennis, then at this moment, Hook can be crowned the uncrowned king of the American table tennis world.
The last game of 8 goals and 4 goals started with such complicated fans' emotions.
This is a truly unpredictable game. Even the Huaping coaching staff chatted internally last night and everyone shook their heads when talking about this game.
Hook may have the best physical fitness on the planet, while Lin Zijun may have the fastest speed on the planet.
Although these are two table tennis players, their talents have transcended the constraints of table tennis in a sense and can be applied to the entire human world.
So, when two completely detached people collide, it is difficult to completely use Ping Pong World's common sense and rules to determine who wins and who loses.
The coaches of Huaping finally unified their understanding before the meeting ended and gave their judgment on this game. "It depends on the state."
Both sides were in good condition today. Hook perfectly demonstrated the stable technical and tactical system he had cultivated during his two-month career as Table Tennis Super League. He didn't play like an American player, but like a Chinese player. In many places where the transition was very rough before, he was so delicate that it was amazing.
And Lin Zijun is an out-and-out Chinese table tennis player.
Therefore, the battle between the two begins strictly with the details of serving and receiving the serve. They first compete for touch, then the ability to seize opportunities, and finally the ability to attack and defend.
It was also in this situation of head-on collision that everyone discovered, oh, it turns out that Hook still feels better.
Yes, despite the fact that Hook is always labeled as "rough" and "barbaric", he actually has a talent for subtle things.
On the contrary, the Lin Zijun, which looks smart and detailed, is just a good-level feel acquired through training.
So Hook got the right to attack first.
However, the problem arises here: Lin Zijun is not afraid of attacking.
Don't forget, Lin Zijun's Super Speed evolution game in German Open in July was based on Hook.
Fighting again today, Hook is still accustomed to attacking and starting to bomb indiscriminately, but what Lin Zijun and Super Speed Defense Mode like most is the opponent's crazy efforts.
Therefore, it was obviously Hook who got the initiative, but in the end it was Lin Zijun who got the points first.
Then Hook woke up and realized that Lin Zijun was an opponent different from anyone else.
Hook began to try to offload his strength and find Lin Zijun's loopholes through multi-angle attacks coordinated by forehand and backhand.
At this moment, Hook is completely different from himself. Many fans saw a bit of Luo Jiu in his posture and attitude when playing, as well as the way he ran on both sides of the table.
Yes, Hook is studying Luo Jiu.
In other words, this is not subconscious learning, but after practicing with Luo Jiu for more than a month, Hook has already unknowingly understood many details from Luo Jiu.
After all, sparring is mutual. When Luo Jiu broke the rule of "Kings do not meet kings" and established a clear mutual victory-lose relationship with Hook, Hook was not completely at a disadvantage. His starting point was too low, his technical prototype was too rough, and there were too many things he could learn from. As a result, he actually absorbed more nutrients from Luo Jiu.
He has really become a better version of himself. Now, he can even restrain his natural power, attack Lin Zijun with just the right amount of power, and try to crack Super Speed of Lin Zijun with pure technical skills.
This was unimaginable before.
It is said that when Rohlskov watched the game, the entire audience was silent, without saying a word, and his eyes kept showing complicated emotions.
He probably truly realized how simple and crude his "help" to Hook was, and how miraculous the help Hook received in Huaping.
Unfortunately, such Hook is still not enough to penetrate Lin Zijun's defense.
Because his skills have only improved, but it is impossible to really reach the level of Wang Chao or Sun Tianlong.
Even the person he imitated, Luo Jiu himself, has not yet reached the level of Wang Chao and Sun Tianlong in terms of technology.
Therefore, if Luo Jiu meets Lin Zijun, it is also impossible for Luo Jiu to defeat Lin Zijun with pure technology. He will think of other ways.
But Hook can't think of any other way.
After all, his preparation efficiency was too low.
The Brazilian Table Tennis Association can give him too little help, while Chinese Table Tennis Association gives too much help to its own players. For example, Luo Jiu and Wang Chao will formulate targeted tactics based on the opponent's competition habits to make predictions. Was it Luo Jiu's super reply when World Table Tennis Championships beat Wang Chao in the final, or Wang Chao's super reply when Wang Chao beat Lin Zijun in the mixed doubles final. In fact, they both followed this path.
But this path is actually very difficult and requires extremely high professional skills, wisdom and mental intensity. This kind of thing cannot be accomplished by a player alone.
Therefore, facing Lin Zijun, Hook's offensive options seemed a bit weak. When he found that the strong attack could not penetrate the opponent and the rhythm could not drag down the opponent, he was at his wits' end.
The game fell into a quagmire because Hook could not come up with anything new and could only keep trying on the old things, trying to catch the opponent's loopholes, or use higher intensity to force the opponent to make forced errors.
Lin Zijun also had a hard time, because when Hook learned to restrain his strength, he really couldn't find a way to use it, and, just as Hook hoped, he would indeed make forced errors.
Therefore, the game was extremely stalemate. From a strategic point of view, the second half of the first game lacked anything that would sparkle in thinking. But from a scene point of view, it was actually very nice to watch. The multi-round offensive and defensive battle was full of passion. Both sides were extremely tight and pressed the other side, expecting the other side to make a mistake. Once the other side did make a mistake, they would pursue and fight until they were killed.
Such a match scene, when Qin Huachang cannot appear and other commentators cannot understand it, can be regarded as a top-notch peak match. Strictly speaking, it is even more beautiful than the match between Wang Chao and Bayer just now.
The game lasted for a full hour and twenty minutes. Both sides were really at their wits' end. They didn't play tactics, they both played toughness, body, and willpower. They were all competing to see who could carry it.
In the end, Lin Zijun won the game, narrowly winning the game with a score of 4:3, and in the last game, Hook beat Hook 11:3.
This result surprised many people, including the big players in Huaping.
Because everyone can see that in theory, Hook should have the upper hand in this kind of death.
After all, Hook is born with stronger concentration, better physical strength, and endurance. As long as he stabilizes himself and does not have any problems with his mentality, then Lin Zijun's body will be unable to bear it first, causing technical fluctuations and mental fluctuations.
But in the end, Hook collapsed inexplicably in the seventh game.
The big guys from China Table Tennis met again that night to analyze and communicate, and put a lot of brainpower into this game. The final conclusion was that "Lin Zijun is better at adjusting his mentality."
Note that it is not that the mentality is better, but that one is better at adjusting the mentality. These are two completely different concepts.
For this conclusion, Wang Chao supports it.
Hook himself does not have a good mentality. He is easily anxious, irritable, and gives up on himself. This can be seen from his frequent drops in competitions in the past few years. This year he came to China to play table tennis for two months and seems to have a much better mentality. But in essence, this is just because he has really stabilized his technique, so he has developed stronger self-confidence. This self-confidence covers up his natural mental flaws, making people think that he has really become a calm person.
But it doesn't.
When the fierce battle with Lin Zijun reached the last round, Hook finally exposed his character flaws again under the high pressure.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that he is under too much pressure. After all, fans in South and North America are all staring at him, waiting for him to break out of the universe and win the game.
At the same time, this is also a battle of revenge. In July, he was the background of Lin Zijun's super evolution. This can be regarded as a moderate "vengeance".
Various external and internal forces pushed Hook to the crater, making him anxious, restless and impulsive. Even if he suppressed it forcibly, he would still burst out at the last moment.
Lin Zijun is just the opposite.
Lin Zijun is essentially a gentle boy, not so aggressive, with a calm mind. He even lacks the desire to win. When he first debuted, he needed encouragement from Jiang Peirong and Zhuang Huishen. Later, the reason why he played many famous games was mainly due to the stimulation of Wang Chao, a "good friend" of his age.
So Lin Zijun really doesn't have any pressure in today's game, because he has already determined that he is not Wang Chao's opponent, but after winning this game, he will face Wang Chao.
So, how much does it mean to win? It's just a semi-final, but not the final.
So Lin Zijun is really relaxing.
Even his fans don't put pressure on him. After all, Bay Island is too young. Bay Island fans are satisfied with his achievements this year. Even Jiang Peirong often tells him, "Take it easy, good health is the most important thing. You don't have to force yourself to win the championship. Playing for a few more years is the real thing."
So you see, life is like this, you don't want it but you get it, you want it so much but you miss it in the end.
In short, the top four of Men's Singles are determined in this way, the top half is Luo Jiu vs Sun Tianlong, and the bottom half is Wang Chao vs Lin Zijun. The world table tennis world is once again in commotion because of this list, because everyone is aware of a very serious problem: are all the top four Asian players?
Does this turn out to be the true pattern of today's table tennis world?
Does it look similar to mixed doubles?
In the mixed doubles, the semi-finals were two Asians and two Europeans, but in the finals it became an Asian civil war.
Now Men's Singles, in the quarterfinals there were still four Europeans and four Asians, but in the semifinals, it turned into an Asian civil war.
If there is another round, will the final simply turn into a civil war between Chinese table tennis players?
"Reform, we must continue to reform!" International Table Tennis Federation officials held a group meeting that night and held a video conference, and unanimously passed the above resolution with an unprecedented gesture of unity.
After dinner that afternoon, Wang Chao asked for a leave from He Jingping and slipped out of the Huaping camp with Luo Jiu.
"Junior brother, after thinking about it, you are probably the only person in this world who can imitate Brother Long's purely technical style of play." Luo Jiu was full of confidence, his eyes shining. "We Brothers work together and can defeat gold. As long as you help me well, I will definitely be able to successfully slay the dragon tomorrow, and let Old He also experience the supreme glory of joining my disciple Olympic Games in the finals."
At the end, he added, "By the way, if you call Little Lin tomorrow, it should be fine, right?"
Wang Chao nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, you jump, i, jump."
Luo Jiu: "?"
"This..." Wang Chao coughed. "I mean, you win, I win, see you in the finals."
The two brothers didn't know that Hook also sent a message to Sun Tianlong through the Brazilian Table Tennis Association that night. "Do you need me to be a sparring partner? Now, after two months of sparring with Luo Jiu, I can be said to be the person who knows Luo Jiu best in the world... As long as I help you simulate Luo Jiu, you will win tomorrow!"
Sun Tianlong readily agreed, thanked her sincerely, and finally asked, "Why did you help me?"
"First, because I want to watch coach Qin Huachang explain the Men's Singles final, so you have to win."
"Second, Luo Jiu bullied me for two full months. Every time I asked him to be gentle, he refused. I want to take revenge on him."
Hook paused here. After a while, he sighed faintly, "Okay, let me be honest... I am really depressed after losing the game today. Luo Jiu is now my good brother. I think he should share the joys and sorrows with me. Anyway, the gold medal belongs to you Huaping. I hope that you, whom I respect, can fulfill Double Grand Slam's dream, so I really have no psychological burden at all for this backstab."
(It's the first update today. Actually, it's a chapter and a half. After all, it's more than 5k. I don't have enough confidence, so I can only ask for votes.)
Thanks to "Ye Qingfan" for the 1500 coin reward.