On January 1st, Beijing time, the biggest upset and surprise occurred as the MVP of the Ping Pong Super League was announced. The result shocked everyone, as it turned out to be Lin Shidong instead of Wang Chuqin.
The official announcement of the Ping Pong Super League MVP revealed that the eventual winner was none other than Lin Shidong. Lin Shidong successfully claimed the singles MVP award, earning a prize of 100,000 yuan. However, Wang Chuqin, as the leader of the victorious Weiqiao Club, did not receive any awards, since the doubles MVP went to Lin Gaoyuan from Shantou Mingrun.
Lin Gaoyuan's undefeated record in eight doubles matches justified his award. However, there is still significant controversy surrounding Lin Shidong's victory over Wang Chuqin to claim the singles MVP. Looking at their final records, Lin Shidong had a record of 10 wins and 2 losses throughout the Ping Pong Super League, while Wang Chuqin had 9 wins and 1 loss. It appears that Wang Chuqin won one less match than Lin Shidong, but Wang Chuqin had two significant advantages.
One advantage is that Wang Chuqin had a higher win rate of 90%, compared to Lin Shidong's 83%. This clearly shows that Lin Shidong was at a disadvantage in terms of win rate, while Wang Chuqin benefited. The reason Wang Chuqin only had 9 wins is because he played two fewer matches than Lin Shidong, who played 12 matches, while Wang Chuqin played 10. Isn't it normal for the "big head" to have two fewer wins than the "little stone"?
Another point is their head-to-head record, where Wang Chuqin defeated Lin Shidong, which is also a significant advantage. They only faced each other once in the finals, with Wang Chuqin winning 3-1 against Lin Shidong. Therefore, judging from their head-to-head record, it is obvious that Wang Chuqin has the upper hand, and looking at their overall win rates, Wang Chuqin also has the advantage.
Even considering the quality of victories over opponents, Lin Shidong has never beaten Fan Zhendong, while Wang Chuqin defeated Fan Zhendong in the previous round. From these points, the归属 of this MVP seems to be controversial. If it were given to Wang Chuqin, there might not be such a huge wave of online doubts.
Moreover, in today's context where Fan Zhendong and Ma Long have withdrawn, if Wang Chuqin could win this MVP, it would have a significant meaning, symbolizing his complete transformation into the new leader and standard-bearer of China's national table tennis team, without any controversy about his rise to the top. However, now that the Ping Pong Super League has concluded with the MVP going to Lin Shidong, people will question who the number one player in China's national table tennis team really is, and whether there are new twists and turns for the leading figure of the new era.