Diamond high score "capture" table tennis master

Despite the start of the ITTF World Tour China Open at the end of May, most of the international table tennis players are frequently fought. From Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea to the recently concluded Australian Open, high-density events have already formed for high-ranking players. A serious challenge, but this still can not stop everyone from participating in the table tennis T2 diamond competition.

The table tennis T2 diamond competition will be held in Malaysia from July 18th to 21st. The total prize money for the three races set this year has not only reached $1.5 million, but also that each contestant will receive points rewards, starting with 400 points and winning 1,000 points. These points can be used as extra points in addition to the "8 highest points" that the ITTF used as the world ranking. If all three races win, the additional points will be equivalent to the Olympics or World Table Tennis Championships.

The T2 Diamonds only have men's and women's singles competitions. Each game is a knockout. Each of the 16 male and female players will participate in the first race. The names of the injured athletes will not be able to participate, and other shortlisted players will be present. Liu Shiwen, who has not recovered from her waist injury, gave up her qualifications and was replaced by German cutter Han Ying. German star Boer also retired due to injury, the French player Simon came off the bench.

It is worth mentioning that the T2 Diamond Race has a different system than the regular event. Each game is timed 24 minutes, taking 7 games and 4 wins. Each team takes the lead in winning 11 points and does not use the rules of chasing the ball. If the 24-minute time is over and neither side wins 4 rounds, then the remaining small rounds enter the "FAST5" mode, which means that each round takes the lead in winning 5 points, until one player takes the lead in winning 7 rounds in 7 rounds. Get the final victory.

Successive competitions are no small challenge for the strength and energy of Guoping. Xu Wei, who won the men's singles championship in three consecutive races, said in an interview: "Since the ITTF score reform, we have participated in more competitions than before. Now we have added a T2 league, the tournament and the Olympics. Waiting for the world competition is different, think about it.” Malone also admitted that the T2 league is not in his entry plan. “Because the T2 champion has extra Olympic points, it is not good for points and rankings, but now I am worried about the competition. It’s your own physical condition.”

Qin Zhizhen, head coach of the Chinese table tennis men's team, pointed out that the T2 diamond race broke the team's original preparation plan to a certain extent. In a sense, T2 seized the outstanding athletes, especially the old athletes, through a point policy. The head coach of the women's team, Li Wei, believes that the rules and system of the game are not very strict. In addition, the two coaches said that although the points are very important, the coaching staff believes that the athletes' performance in the T2 diamond competition does not have much reference value for the Olympic competition.