Building the dream team

National trials live up to blockbuster billing as Team China's ambitions begin to take shape

Boasting the world's best table tennis players, the Team China tryout tournament is as tough and thrilling as any major international event. The latest edition of the trials took place last week in Beijing, where the nation's finest battled it out for the chance to represent Team China at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban, South Africa, in May.

Thursday's men's singles final was a real blockbuster affair, pitting current world No 1 Fan Zhendong against the 34-year-old reigning Olympic singles champion Ma Long, with the latter prevailing 3-0 to claim gold.

"I prepared really well for the tryout and I delivered a great performance and managed to maintain my concentration all through the match — although I didn't expect a 3-0 result. Playing against players like Fan Zhendong, any small mistake can cost you the match even if you have the lead," said Ma.

"Over the past few years, I haven't always been able to beat Fan. So today I had very little pressure, and I just wanted to play my best. This win is for sure a massive confidence boost for me."

Ma's 3-0 victory instantly shot to the top of the trending news charts on Chinese social media on Thursday night, with fans marveling at the veteran's shock triumph. Within just two hours, the hashtag "Ma Long 3-0 Fan Zhendong" had been viewed over 100 million times on Weibo.

"Fan Zhendong and Ma Long are the world's top two men's singles players, and it's obvious through the tryout that Ma Long is currently in better shape. Even at his age, Ma Long showed he can increase his level," said Wang Hao, head coach of the men's team.

"His professionalism deserves our respect. He just gets better and better. And I'm confident that he can go on and reproduce this wonderful form on the international stage."

On the women's side, world No 1 Sun Yingsha played through the pain of a foot injury sustained mid-match to overcome Chen Xingtong 3-0 in the final on Thursday. Afterward, 22-year-old sensation Sun remained typically humble.

"I know Chen Xingtong well as a teammate and a friend. I just focus on the match. The first two games were intense and I was lucky to win the key points. We play a very similar style and we are at the same level, but I think what made the difference for me today was that my pace was better," said Sun.

Both singles champions were automatically awarded spots on the national team for the world championships, but the final Team China lineup will be decided after a second tryout event.

Team China head coach Li Sun believes the tryout competition is an open opportunity for all players, and many stars showed their quality at the event.

"The tryout competition is a tradition for Team China, and we aim to keep the team as competitive as possible. All of Team China's core players participated in this tryout and showed a strong desire to win. The younger players were also superb and showed their potential," said Li.

"We hope more people can shine through the tryout competition. For the core players, the veterans and the youngsters, they all have the same fair chance here.

"The national team had a tough winter training stint this year. Each day, we had three high-intensity training sessions. That's because we are facing a busy schedule this year. The first-tier squad and the youth squads need to attend over 60 tournaments worldwide this year. And the tryout competitions are the best test for our training."

After a vigorous recruitment process, a new coaching team was installed in late December. According to newly appointed Team China head coach Li, the focus is to now build strong relationships and smooth cooperation throughout the squad.

"We have 24 coaches, so the priority at this year's winter training was to get the players and coaches in tune with each other. After the previous training stint, the entire team is focused on the same goal and we are now in great condition. And I asked both players and coaches to learn from each other and improve together," added Li.

"The main target for us this year is the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games. We are facing a very busy schedule this year as there are a lot more events for us to attend. And we are also eyeing the Paris Olympics. Through this year's events, we hope to select those who will be ready for the Games in 2024."

Doubling down

A major focus at last week's tryout was the mixed doubles competition, as Team China is on a mission to secure its first Olympic gold in this discipline in Paris. Team China pocketed four of the five golds on offer at the Tokyo Games last year but lost to Japan in the mixed doubles, which debuted as an Olympic medal event in Japan.

Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong's hard efforts during winter training paid off at the tryout event last weekend. The pair topped the mixed doubles podium on Tuesday by beating youngsters Yu Ziyang and Sun Mingyang 3-1, but the champions are well aware of the challenges that await on the international stage.

"Mixed doubles obviously combines the skills of a male and a female player. I am very familiar with the top women's players in the world but not so much about the top male players, so I need to learn more about their skills and styles," said Chen after Tuesday's victory.

"We have lots to work on and improve upon. Lin and I don't put too much pressure on each other but, honestly, the result was quite surprising. And the victory motivates us to keep pushing forward and trying harder."

If China is to fulfill its mixed doubles ambition, improving the mental side of the game is key, reckons Lin.

"All Team China players who reach a final at the tryout give their best, and we prepare for the toughest situations. But on crucial points we still made a lot of mistakes, so we need to be tougher mentally. This tryout is a great chance for us to pinpoint our weaknesses, and now we need to deal with them in training," said Lin.

"When we face foreign players, I think mentality plays a more important role. I don't think they are just stronger than us, but the wrong mentality can cost us a match. We also need to improve at dealing with pressure."

Head coach Li admits some Chinese players face a delicate balancing act between juggling mixed doubles practice and competitions with singles action.

However, with the shared goal of a gold-medal clean sweep at the next Olympics in Paris, there is a palpable sense of unity within the Team China squad.

"We all realize the importance of the mixed doubles, and we need to try our best to win Olympic gold. Now the men's team and the women's team are cooperating well, and we have appointed specific crews to coordinate the training of the mixed doubles pairs," Li explained.

"For example, we have arranged more training time for the mixed doubles players.

"Compared with our preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, we have more comprehensive methods, stronger players and, crucially, have put these plans in motion earlier than before."

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn