One of our avid PingSkillers is taking in some of the World Championships in Yokohama. Thanks to Ji-Soo for this report.

To Yokohama With Love

Diary from the 2009 World Table Tennis Championships

Scenes from Yokohama

My friend and I arrived in Shin-Yokohama station a little after 9am on 30 April. With a population of ‘just’ 3.6 million, the trip to Yokohama was like a trip to a small provincial town after the dazzling chaos of Tokyo. The direction to Yokohama Arena was clearly marked from the station (phew!), and I felt right at home when I spied a gentleman pass by wearing the green and gold with ‘Australia’ emblazoned on the back! As is unavoidable in any large scale event, there were some security at the entrance but surprisingly minimal. I was held up when the lady checking my bag kept telling me “no moving, no moving”. Had she received a tip-off from Interpol? Was this a characteristically polite Japanese way of saying “freeze or I’ll shoot!”? The mystery was eventually resolved when she gestured at my camera. “No, no” I reassured her “just photos, no video.”

Blue Army

As we found our seat, it was clear that the main concentration of spectators were amassed in the corner of the arena where matches involving Japanese competitors would be featured. They were the blue army…blue because of their blue shirts and blue because of their blue inflated clubs (which they used to clap together to spur on the local heroes). However, later in the morning, the other parts of the arena began filling out as well. It was a rousing spectacle. Aside from the rubber claps of the Japanese crowd, there were of course the “jia you!” (literally ‘add oil’) of the Chinese supporters and the occasional ‘fighting!’ from a Korean supporter. There was also a mystery drummer who added a musical punctuation at certain points during the proceedings, and who for a long while defied my attempts at location. It turned out to be a lone drummer plus his friend who kept moving around the arena. Someone told me they saw Thailand written on the back of their shirts.
Cheer Leaders

The first round saw plenty to cheer about for the blue army. In fact, I don’t think I saw a single Japanese player lose. In typical Japanese fashion, the sea of blue clubs was clapping in perfect unison – keeping time with the cheerleaders in front. Kaii Yoshida, struggling and down match point, responded as the crowd chanted his name and came back to win in 7 sets.

Ai Fukuhara- the media darling

Ai Fukuhara was clearly the darling of the media, attracting a throng of photographers for her first round match. Though disappointment (and tears) awaited her in round two, for this round at least she was in devastating form and dismantled her opponent with accurate attacks and demoralising blocks. Undoubtedly the most unexpected success story of the first round for Japan was Koki Niwa. At just 14 years of age, and ranked 426 in the world, Niwa was absolutely dominant in his match against his opponent from Argentina ranked 71 (Liu Song, I believe). Niwa clearly troubled his more experienced opponent with both his serve and his backhand attacks. And whenever Song got an attacking shot in, it seemed like Niwa was always in position and able to block with good placement. It was clearly a glimpse at the future of table tennis in Japan.

Scanning around the multitude of tables, it was a challenge keeping track of all the unfolding dramas. Saive Jean-Michel (who always seems to be using twice as much energy as his opponent!) had a highlight reel game against an Egyptian player who seemed to enjoy the pace from the Belgian. Though the body language was occasionally rather negative, Saive’s all-guns-blazing approach ultimately proved irresistible.
Saive triumphant

Michael Maze – my favourite

I got a chance to watch my favourite player, Michael Maze, conspicuous by his head band (and a weird serving action which I’m not too crazy about), cruise through a match against a Korean opponent. Unfortunately Australia’s top male player, William Henzell, never really seemed to get his rhythm and was out in 4 straight sets. A lone voice in the crowd pleaded for a comeback with an occasional cry of “Aussie Aussie Aussie!”. It was always going to be difficult against Christian Suss, but William only made things harder for himself by failing to convert any of four game points.

Chinese Circle

And on the other side of the arena, there was a menacing concentration of red amongst the multitude of colours. It probably was in the corner of everyone’s eyes, and in the back of everyone’s minds…creating unease. It meant the Chinese players were in town, and they were watching the proceedings like hunters circling prey. I thought I saw, at the end of one woman’s singles match, an opponent who had just lost to a Chinese player having her photo taken with the victor. Never a good sign when a competitor seems just happy to be there. An aura of invincibility might as well be invincibility.

Chinese team circling their prey

Recommendation

I really enjoyed my first taste of Table Tennis World Championship. I didn’t get a chance to see as much of it as I would have liked. Perhaps in the future I will have another opportunity. In the meanwhile, if you have never been to one, and if you ever get a chance, I would highly recommend it! Just make sure your camera doesn’t take videos!