On January 20th, Beijing time, Chinese tennis star Zhang Shuai, who is currently competing in the Australian Open, candidly stated in an interview after advancing to the women's doubles quarterfinals that it was Fan Zhendong's competitive spirit that inspired her when she was trailing. Zhang Shuai said, "I am often inspired by our national table tennis player Fan Zhendong, just like in the Paris Olympics, where Fan Zhendong played against Tomokazu, coming back from a 0-2 deficit to level the score, then again from a 2-3 deficit to level, finally winning the match 4-3 in a thrilling victory, which is very remarkable." It is worth noting that the 21st will be Zhang Shuai's 36th birthday, and coincidentally, the day after tomorrow (January 22nd) is Fan Zhendong's birthday. This veteran of Chinese tennis also expressed that the experiences of Ma Long and Fan Zhendong have inspired her, "If they can do it, so can I. When we were trailing 0-4 at the start of this match, I encouraged myself in the same way." Zhang Shuai's heartfelt remarks even earned praise from the Australian Open officials, who posted, "Until the very last moment, the outcome is uncertain. When faced with a narrow path, one must unsheathe their sword. Thank you, Fan Zhendong, for the passion and belief you bring us!" In the previous third round of the Australian Open women's doubles competition, Zhang Shuai and her partner Meladonovic once trailed 0-4 in the first set, but their tenacity allowed them to level the score and drag the match into a tiebreak, where…

On January 20th, the second major event of the Badminton World Federation in 2025, the India Open, came to an end. After the first two major events, a rare new situation has emerged in the world of badminton doubles: "second marriages" are thriving while original partnerships are cold and quiet. Let's take a look at the doubles situation in this year's first major event, the Malaysia Open: Men's Doubles: The champions were South Korea's men's doubles pair, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. Kim Won-ho used to play mixed doubles with Jung Na-eun, winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics; Seo Seung-jae played both men's doubles and mixed doubles, partnering with Kang Min-hyuk in men's doubles and Chae Yoo-jin in mixed doubles, winning the men's doubles and mixed doubles titles at the 2023 World Championships. This year, they are "second marriages," with a world ranking of over 180 before the tournament (qualifying based on tour rankings, as below). The new pair of Kim Won-ho/Seo Seung-jae defeated the well-known Liang Weikang/Wang Chang, Rankireddy/Sethi, and then won against Chen Boyang/Liu Yi in the final to claim the championship. They defeated all the original pairs. Women's Doubles: The champions were the Japanese pair of Fukushima Yuki and Matsumoto Mayu. Fukushima Yuki is already 32 years old, her past partner was Hirota Ayaka, but they didn't achieve much; Matsumoto Mayu is also 30 years old, her past partner was Nagahara Wakana, and they won the World Championship title. This year, they are also "second marriages," with a world ranking of around 100 at the…

Recently, the Chinese table tennis team announced the Asian Cup entry list. As expected, the men's team core Fan Zhendong and women's singles top player Chen Meng were not selected. The omission of the two quickly triggered widespread attention from fans and media, with many fans worried that Fan Zhendong may find it difficult to participate in the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics. After in-depth analysis, this view is not groundless but based on the multiple challenges Fan Zhendong currently faces and the inevitable trend of new and old alternation in the table tennis world. The 27-year-old Fan Zhendong, as one of the top players in today's table tennis world, has unquestionable strength and is at his peak. Looking back at last year's Paris Olympics, Fan Zhendong, under the huge pressure of poor form and Wang Chuqin's early exit, won the men's singles gold medal with outstanding performance and tenacious mental quality, achieving the glorious feat of a grand slam. This feat demonstrated Little Fatty's superb level in technology and tactics and proved his ability to withstand pressure and perform steadily in critical moments. The 27-year-old Little Fatty is at the golden age of a table tennis player and theoretically has the full capability to compete for another Olympic cycle. However, reality has cast a shadow over Fan Zhendong's path to the Los Angeles Olympics. First, Fan Zhendong chose to withdraw from the world rankings, which undoubtedly had a significant impact on his international competitiveness. World ranking is an important indicator for measuring a player's strength and foreign competition opportunities. Withdrawing…

For table tennis players, the established rule is to "judge status by Grand Slam achievements." If you want to have a higher ranking in the history of table tennis, Grand Slam achievements are the entry-level requirement (significant contributions to tactical innovation and the globalization of table tennis should also count). Currently, 11 Grand Slam players have been born. They are: Waldner, Deng Yaping, Liu Guoliang, Wang Nan, Kong Linghui, Zhang Yining, Zhang Jike, Li Xiaoxia, Ding Ning, Ma Long, Fan Zhendong. From the current situation, the closest active national table tennis players to the Grand Slam are: Chen Meng, who is missing a World Championship singles title; Sun Yingsha, who is missing an Olympic singles title; and Wang Manyu, who is missing an Olympic singles title and a World Cup singles title. So, as of now, what is Sun Yingsha's real-time record in the three major competitions? Let's take a look together. Olympic Games: 3 gold + 2 silver Two-time Olympic women's team gold medalist: 2021 Tokyo / 2024 Paris One-time Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist: 2024 Paris (with Wang Chuqin) Two-time Olympic women's singles silver medalist: 2021 Tokyo / 2024 Paris Sun Yingsha participated in the Olympics for the first time in her career at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she won both team and singles qualifications. In the singles competition, she lost to Chen Meng and won a silver medal; in the team competition, she teamed up with Chen Meng and Wang Manyu (replacing Liu Shiwen) to win the gold medal, which was Sun Yingsha's first Olympic gold…

Sun Yingsha's 46-year-old senior brother appointed as head coach of Japanese women's table tennis team, vows to win Olympic gold, claiming strength is close to Chinese team On January 19th, the Japan Table Tennis Association held a press conference in Tokyo, officially announcing the new head coaches for the men's and women's teams. The new male team coach is 37-year-old Kishikawa Kento, while the new female team coach is 46-year-old Nakazawa Toshio. It is worth noting that Nakazawa Toshio and Sun Yingsha are from the same school, both having played for the Hebei Provincial Table Tennis Team under the tutelage of famous table tennis coach Yang Guangdi. Nakazawa was teammates with Ma Lin, and Sun Yingsha is his junior sister from the same school. In other words, Sun Yingsha's senior brother has become the head coach of the Japanese women's table tennis team, which has sparked heated discussions among netizens! After becoming the head coach of the Japanese women's table tennis team, Nakazawa Toshio showed great ambition at the press conference, vowing to win the Olympic gold medal and frankly stating that their strength is close to that of the Chinese team. Nakazawa said in front of the media, "I am deeply honored to be entrusted with this important task, but I also feel a heavy responsibility. I want to build the Japanese women's table tennis team into an even stronger team. The strength of the women's group is closer to the Chinese team than ever before, and the goal for the women's event is only the gold medal. To…

Translation of the article content into English: Facing the Los Angeles Olympics in four years, the Chinese women's basketball national team has already entered a stage of generational transition. With the preparations for the Olympic cycle, several players from the Chinese women's basketball team may leave the national team to embark on new career paths. Which veteran players will be leaving the national team? Huang Sijing, once a star player who dominated the Asian basketball scene and a former starting power forward for the Chinese women's basketball team, will leave the national team due to injuries and age. Huang Sijing has now taken up coaching with the WCBA Guangdong team, wishing her all the best in her new endeavors. Li Yuan, limited by height and lacking in physicality, is very likely to leave the national team as modern basketball guards increasingly favor height, weight, and physicality. Wu Tongtong, once a surprise player for the national team, known for her boldness and tenacity, will gradually fade out of the national team due to injuries and age. The Paris Olympics may be her last Olympics. Yang Lili, a former captain and star guard of the women's basketball national team, helped China achieve second place in the World Cup with her sharp breakthroughs and fast attacks. With age and declining competitive form, the old captain will definitely leave the national team, but her contributions to Chinese women's basketball will always be remembered. Sun Mengran, a veteran player who remains strong despite her age, shone brightly at this year's Paris Olympics, successfully completing the…

On January 19th, Beijing time, the final day of the 2025 India Open Badminton Championships, the men's singles final took center stage with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen facing off against Hong Kong's rising star, Lee Cheuk Yiu. In the end, Axelsen dominated with a 21-8 score in one set, winning both sets 2-0 to defeat Lee and secure his title, avenging his surprising first-round loss to Lee at last week's Malaysia Open! During his prime, Axelsen was indeed unstoppable. However, as he has aged, his technical abilities have declined, giving rise to several "dragon slayers," with Lee being the foremost among them. At the previous Malaysia Open, Lee caused an upset by eliminating Axelsen in the first round. At this India Open, Lee continued his excellent form, consecutively defeating Kento Momota, Brice Leverdez, Chou Tien Chen, and Wang Tzu Wei to reach the finals. In the semi-finals, after losing the first set, Lee fought back to win two consecutive sets and reverse the match against China's top player, Wang Tzu Wei, leaving a deep impression with his powerful smashes. In this match, Lee initially suppressed Axelsen's backhand overhead, exploiting his slow turning speed, achieving good results. However, as the game progressed, Axelsen also became aware of this, transitioning from defense to offense, gradually reversing the situation, overtaking the score, and maintaining his lead to win the first set 21-16. In the second set, Axelsen completely controlled the game, with Lee falling further behind in points and gradually losing his fighting spirit. Axelsen won the set 21-8 in a strong comeback,…

The Paris Olympics have concluded, and preparations are underway for the new Chinese women's basketball team. Which players will stand out and become members of the new national team in 2025? Centers: Li Yueru, born in 1999, is 201 cm tall. She was first selected for the national team in 2017, winning third place in the Asian Cup. In 2018, she was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the WCBA Finals. In 2019, she was selected by the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. She was included in the Paris Olympics roster in 2024 and was China's best-performing player at the Paris Olympics. In 2024, she participated in the Euroleague, scoring 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in one game. Technical Features: She can not only provide screens for her teammates but also break through and flexibly follow down to the basket. She has good rebounding skills and developed a three-point shooting ability in 2024, with outstanding post-up play. Han Xu, born in 1999, is 211 cm tall. She was first selected for the WCBA in 2018 and joined the national team, helping China win the Asian Games in 2018. In 2019, she was selected by the WNBA's New York Liberty. She was the CBA scoring and blocking champion from 2020-2021, participated in the 2023 Australian World Cup, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Technical Features: She has outstanding basketball talent, excellent footwork, strong jumping ability, good rim protection, decent mid-range shooting and three-point ability, strong blocking ability, fast speed, and good athletic ability. Zhang Ziyu, 19 years old, is 226 cm tall.…

"It is a pity that Ito Mima was not selected for the Paris Olympics, and we won't be able to see her compete against Sun Yingsha. The Japanese team has chosen Zhang Benmei in hopes that she can defeat the Chinese team and help win the gold medal." The Japanese table tennis team, a formidable opponent of the national team, has announced their roster for the Paris Olympics. Notably, they have chosen 15-year-old Zhang Benmei as the third member of the women's team, which is a bold decision. What reasons led the Japanese team to choose Zhang Benmei over Ito Mima, a two-time Olympian and the only current Olympic champion on the Japanese team? Japanese women's team head coach Watanabe Takehiro provided an answer, with one key point being Zhang Benmei's victories over Sun Yingsha in women's doubles and mixed doubles events. As Watanabe said, "During the selection process, he was very troubled because Ito Mima is an Olympic gold medalist and an excellent player. However, considering her performance last year, Zhang Benmei has been more outstanding." Watanabe further explained, "At last year's Asian Games, Zhang Benmei teamed up with Kihara Miyuu to defeat the former world champions (Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu). At the end of last year's Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, she partnered with Tohsho Aruga to defeat the world number one (Sun Yingsha/Wang Chuqin), achieving remarkable results." From Japan's choice of Zhang Benmei, it seems they are betting on her performance in the women's doubles at the Olympics. Watanabe stated that his focus in choosing the third member…

The Chinese table tennis team has just concluded the Mascot Star Challenge, leaving a deep impression on everyone. In this competition, the Chinese team won both the men's and women's singles championships. Notably, in the men's singles, the young Chinese player Chen Yuanyu, aged 19, fearlessly faced strong opponents and ultimately defeated Tomokazu Harimoto 4-2 in the final to claim the title. In the new Olympic cycle, Harimoto has become the main competitor for the Chinese table tennis team. Therefore, the primary task for the Chinese team in this new Olympic cycle is to cultivate young players, hoping that they can quickly grow and counter Harimoto. Currently, Chen Yuanyu has shown great skill in dealing with Harimoto, but another player, Lin Shidong, seems unable to handle Harimoto. Lin Shidong has faced Harimoto five times in his career, losing four times. His only victory was a narrow 3-2 win. Each time Harimoto plays against Lin Shidong, he manages to dominate the court, leaving Lin Shidong with few opportunities. Some netizens believe that based on Lin Shidong's current performance, it is difficult for him to carry the flag for men's singles. Having lost four out of five matches to Harimoto, Lin Shidong's record is indeed awkward, leading many to think he cannot carry the flag. However, Lin Shidong is very young, and there are still opportunities for him to prove himself in future competitions. Fans will cheer for Lin Shidong, believing that this talented youngster can grow and succeed. During the Mascot Star Challenge, Chen Yuanyu set a good example for Lin…