Feng Tian Wei v Ding Ying

As the players prepare for this World Championships teams final and the crowd is going crazy for China I can’t help but look at the Singapore bench and wonder what they are thinking. All of them formerly of China would surely have some feeling for their motherland. Even coach Zhou brother of our former Australian coach Zhou Lan Sun must be feeling it. How do they feel with all of their fellow countrymen cheering against them?

Could Singapore win the first match of the Worlds team final against China. In the first match Feng of Singapore takes on Ding Ying of China. After a comfortable start where Ding looked in total control she started to falter. Leading 7 - 3 in the third set she seemed to fall apart eventually going down 11 – 8. Similarly at 8 – 6 in the fourth set she again looked in control only to tighten and be outplayed by her Singapore opponent.

So on to the fifth set and a lead of 4 – 1 to Ding. Surely this time she must have it in the bag. A long rally where Ding defends, comes in and then a ball down the line by Feng gives her the point. Ding complains of an edge. The ball looks to have hit well inside the edge of the table. Surely a sign of nerves. Not seeing clearly is a strong warning sign that the emotional level is getting too high. But she takes the next point and they change at 5 -2. Then a big top edge by Ding loses her the next. Another tentative forehand counter attack that clips the top f the net and out. A serve and topspin by Feng to the now suspect forehand, leads to another tentative mistake.

Ding then unleashes the reverse tomahawk serve and gains an error. Only on the next point again employs the serve and misses yet another forehand down the line that misses the side of the table. A strong rally by both players until Feng is able to make a topspin to Ding’s forehand and yes you guessed it an error. 7 – 6. Another similar rally and another topspin to the forehand and this time Ding doesn’t even get a bat on the ball. 8 – 6…

The serve of Ding gains her her second point for a while, and both have come form the serve. And then a turn around. Then against the run of play Ding serves and she makes the forehand to level the game at 8 all.

Feng out positions Ding in the rally and makes wide backhand to Ding’s forehand that she doesn’t touch. And then the first real mistake by Feng for a long time. Missing a forehand pivot forehand . Incredibly the game is at 9 – 9 in the deciding set. Serve by Ding a rally and then a backhand error by Ding gives Feng a match point. Then a serve by Ding a very high short return and the forehand that has been so mischievous in this 5th set rears its ugly head again. A mistake that you sitting at home would back yourself in to make 9 times out of ten.

First match to Singapore!

Wang Yue Gu v Liu Shiwen

After some fast attacking play especially on the backhand side a lucky net chord gives Gu of Singapore the first game 11 -7. Then in an equally intense battle of long fast rallies it is Gu once again winning 11 – 8. The largely Chinese crowd gets pensive. Then during the break a large chant once again goes up trying desperately to lift their player.

At this stage it looks like the incredible may just happen. Well the crowd is certainly entertaining the idea. I think back to a conversation I had earlier in the week with the Marketing Manager of ITTF, Steve Dainton who claimed he would shave his head of China doesn’t win both team’s titles. Perhaps he should at least now be looking for some clippers.

An 11 – 3 scoreline in the third set to China and the whole feeling of the crowd and match changes.

At 2 – 4 to Singapore, Liu serves and then hits a jerky forehand that misses. She immediately calls her own timeout. She must be feeling unsettled. The scoreline now 5 – 2. The 3 topspin rallies by Liu for 3 points levels the score at 5 all. Coach Zhou stand sup for a timeout, but then changes his mind and sits down. The umpire goes out to the table with the timeout clock and almost in acceptance Singapore takes the timeout. A strange event.

A forehand tospin by Liu and and a half topspin by Gu error into the net. 9 – 8 Liu. Then a brillina backhand blocking shot wide to the backhand after spreading Liu on the forehand evens it once again. 9 all.

Then another of the rallies that Liu wants. Topspisn to block on the backhand side gives Liu a game point to even it up. Next point she emplys the same tactic but Gu switches to the forehand and gets th error. 10 all.

A let starts the point. The crowd murmur. Boy oh boy a great tosppin rally. Gu managing to stay in the point loger with Liu topspinning and then switches again to the forehand for an error and a match point. This time Liu goes long to the forehand, Gu just scrambles it back Liu hits the ball that ends up on Gu’s side the Chinese suppoters are happy, but they dn’t realise the ball has gone under the net. Match Singapore. 2 – 0 Singapore. The crowd almost in shock. And somewhere in the hall Steve Dainton starts to rummage even deeper into the drawers for those clippers.

Guo Yan v Sun Bei Bei

And now it is up to Guo Yan to lift the spirits of the Chinese team and crowd. With legs that a bodybuilder would be proud of, she strides confidently onto the court. Those legs have seen a lot of pain, a lot of footwork drills and a lot of weight training rooms.

Again the tide stays with Singapore. Guo Yan looking tentative. Missing block and being outplayed in rallies. Game to Singapore 11 – 6.

The second game and Yan starts to relase her backhand from close to the table. Putting some more topspin on the ball, forcing some errors from Sun. At 10 – 2 it all looks easy for Yan. Sun make sa min revival with Yan surprisingly looking tentative. Back to 10 – 6 but Yan takes the next point to even the match at 1 – 1. The crowd feeling a little better, but certainly not in the voice they displayed early on in the match.

Then another neat display by Yan sees her win the 3rd game 11 – 4. She maintained her topspin on the backhand side that troubled Sun, playing a flatter backhand with the short pimples.

In the fourth an incredible rally at 2 – all of topspin to punch to topspin to topspin to everything and a win to Yan. 3 – 2. Another point to Yan and 4 -2 and Sun can see the game slipping away from her control. Timeout Singapore.

Yan continues to pile on the pressure and goes out to 8 – 3. With her backhand continuing to dominate she cruises on to win the game 11 – 6 and put China on the board in the Teams final and Steve looks for a brush rather than the clippers.

Feng Tian Wei v Liu Shiwen

With good speed and a few errors from Liu Feng takes the first game 11 – 7. Then a quick start to Liu in the second only to be pegged back to 4 all and a timeout to China. The coach sees things not going their way. This second game vital for their chances, you would think. In the middle of this match and you still don’t feel like China can be defeated, but this belief comes with the domination they have shown in the past.

At 10 all in the second game it feels like Singapore may be on the brink. But it is not to be 16 – 14 China and 1 all. The stands start shaking.

At 5 – 0 in the 3rd set to Feng it feels like Liu was too relieved about winning the previous set. She makes some simple errors that she just would not have made after 10 all in the previous set. But she fights on, clawing her way back to 5 – 7. Then a good serve and a high forehand that she doesn’t put away clacnly giving Feng a chance to stay in the point and take advantage. 8 – 5. Then another counterattack by Liu 9 – 5. Another point 10 – 5. Then a feint edge to Liu keeping her in the game… 10 – 6. Another rally and point to China 10 – 7 , time for a tieut to Singapore. Desperately needing to close this game out or you could just see the tide swinging quickly. Feng plays wide to the backhand and then wide to the forehand to draw the error and the game 11 – 7. The start of that game costing Liu dearly. Singapore just one game from the title. Can their nerve hold? It is a big ask.

At 9 all in the set with Singapore just 2 points from victory two very simple mistakes by Feng. It is good to know that players of this incredible standard still feel nerves, just like the rest of us. So 2 all in games between Feng and Liu. Liu has looked just incredibly strong in the face of adversity. In the second game after 10 all she played table tennis beyond belief not missing one easy ball. Again in the fourth game when on the brink, she played strongly. She has looked better in the really big points.

The fifth game and 3 easy mistakes by Liu to give Feng 3 – 0. The game progresses to 6 – 3. Feng makes a devastating forehand only to be repelled by Liu. 6 – 4. Then 2 attacking points from Feng gets her out to 8 – 4. Can she hold her nerve this time? I can hardly type.. A backhand error by Liu 9 – 4. Then a good rally to Liu 9 – 5. A return to the middle of Feng gives Liu the next point. A backhand rall, mistake to Liu. !0 – 6. Can it be real? The photographers assemble. This time no error from Liu, she wins the backhand to backhand rally. This si where she has been so very strong during this match. But this tie it is not to be. An error on the backhand and Singapore have done it. New World Teams champions for the first time… Singapore and China losing the title for the first time since 1991.

Excuse me while I search for Steve. Perhaps I will go via an electrical store just in case Steve didn’t find his clippers.