BY GARY RUDERMAN, Owner-Producer, Reflex Sports

 

With memories of the exciting Atlanta Olympic competition behind us, we prepared to videotape the 44th World Championships in Manchester. This competition would answer a number of questions important to the table tennis world. Would the Chinese continue to dominate the game as they did in Atlanta and Tianjin? Was Waldner finished as a serious contender? Was Samsonov ready to fulfill our prediction that he was a future World Champion? These questions would be answered in dramatic style in Manchester.

In an effort to accommodate our customers who have been asking for more complete games than we can fit into our usual six-hour coverage of World Championships, we decided to produce and sell eight hours for the same price as our previous six hours! We also purchased two state-of-the-art digital pro video cameras and editing decks. These decisions will make our videos affordable to more customers and will allow them to view more complete matches with significantly better quality footage.

Our production team arrived in Manchester on a cloudy day (that would turn out to be about the only dry weather we would face there) and hurried to the arena to check out the facilities. The G-Mex Center, is, like the table tennis facilities in Barcelona for the 1992 Olympics, a train station make-over. The traditional character, high ceilings and intimate flag-festooned 5,000 seat arena made for an interesting venue for this important event. Original tournament plans called for the use of a second and larger arena for the major matches, but the organizers feared that the market would not support the larger arena and opted for just one.

Getting set up to shoot the events was more of a problem than we have ever experienced in our twelve years of videotaping international competition. Because of the tight quarters, courtside space for cameras was at a premium, but we finally established camera positions that would provide the angles our viewers have come to expect. The even better news came from the scheduling committee who informed us that from the round of 16 on only two matches would be played at a time, so we would be able to videotape any matches we needed. On that positive note we were now ready to let the games begin!

The games begin with Team Competition

The team events made up the initial week of competition, and we concentrated on the Men's play. The deep Chinese team makes it through its round robin without problems, but Sweden stumbles in its match against Belgium in its opening round robin. The Swedes seem to have the match under control at 2-2, with Waldner having only Philippe Saive to dispose of to allow Sweden to capture first place in their group. Waldner runs into a buzzsaw, however, as Saive attacks every ball ferociously to prevail at 9, 19. This was not a good omen for Waldner, although our experience over the years is that he doesn't seem to get up for team matches as much as for individual competition. This loss puts Sweden in the unfortunate position of having to face China in the quarter-finals.

For the first matchup, the Swedes choose to throw Karlsson at Liu Guoliang. Karlsson plays his usual style in the first game, and loses at 17. In the second game Karlsson tries a new strategy, which seems to be working. He returns deep, soft, no-spin balls to the backhand, and when Liu opens, Karlsson counters hard. Karlsson moves ahead 18-12, but Liu digs in and refuses to lose another point, winning at 22-20. In the second match, Waldner faces Kong and tries similar soft strategy, and Kong counters with the same. It appears that "less is more" and that the first to change loses the point. Waldner wins the first at 15. The second game follows the same approach, until, down 17-18, Waldner's surprise backhand kill of a Kong kill evens the game, and they see-saw back and forth to a Waldner 27-25 victory. Wang Tao's game against Persson is another story, as they play spin and off-the -bounce kill rallies which, is, of course, playing into Wang's strength...and so China goes up 2-1. Kong kills Karlsson 14 and 17, which sends Sweden back to the drawing board for their next team confrontation with China.

France prevails 3-2 against Belgium, with Chila's long spinning rallies against Philippe Saive the highlight of the match. France's match against Germany is a tightly fought battle, until, at 2-2, Eloi dominates Fetzner 15, 11, to send France into the Final. China goes 3-1 against Korea, having no trouble except for number one seed Kong Linghui's surprise loss to Yoo Nam Kyu. This match, however, pitted more than team against team, since it appeared that every person of Chinese or Korean ancestry in Manchester showed up for this event. A sea of opposing flags, cheerleaders and noisemakers in the stands creates an unbelievable din. Now the stage is set for the insurgent French team to meet in the Final against the usually dominant Chinese.

In the first match,Kong recovers to prevail against Gatien in three. The second match, Liu Guoliang against Patrick Chila, might be the most entertaining match of the team event. Chila must have watched Karlsson play Liu, and he tries to adapt Karlsson's strategy to his own style. Liu is the ultimate serve and smash attacker while Chila epitomizes the French artistic style. He throws everything in the book against Liu to see what works, and much of his "tricky" arsenal is effective. He has mastered a backhand return of serve involving a wristy sidespin backspin that curls into a right-hander's body. This allows him to open on Liu's ineffective response. (The Chinese know a good thing when they see it, and later in the tournament Kong is observed trying the same return.) Another effective return of Liu's marvelous serves has Chila letting the spinny serve drop to his ankles, whereupon he rolls the ball back to die on Liu's bat. He mixes no-spin deceptive-spin and an effective lefty sidespin loop that effectively stymies Liu's normal power game. He unveils some unique serves of his own, and it is amazing to see the usually steady Liu miss three of the same serves in a row in a crucial part of the match. The result is a 17, -15, 10 victory that proves to be France's only point in the 3-1 match decision by China. China's depth becomes even more apparent in the individual competition with the introduction of two new stars who went through round after round losing only to the finalists.

Individual competition

The Men's Individual Competition proves to be more unpredictable than any we have witnessed...with upset after upset. Andrei Filimon, a qualifier from Romania, bests Andrzej Grubba of Poland in the round of 128, for perhaps Grubba's earliest departure from such a major event. In the round of 64, Thomas Von Scheele of Sweden generates another upset by outplaying Jorg Rosskopf in five games.

On another court we recorded Persson going down to lanky Wang Liqin, a new star from the seemingly unlimited depth of Chinese players waiting for their chance to compete. A shake-hands European-style looper, Wang's style is perfectly matched against Persson, and the result is a level of brilliant long-distance spinning play that leaves the audience gasping. Persson is in top form as well, displaying some of his famous "backhand-swat" kills. One point in particular, involving about a dozen long range exchanges, is perhaps the highlight point of the tournament or even of the decade! It brings to mind "the point" between Waldner and Boehm that was featured in our original Wonderful and Wacky World of Table Tennis highlight video. At first we considered Wang's victory an upset, which it was by seeding, but certainly not by talent or technical capabiIity...as demonstrated by Wang's later upset victory over Carl Prean (himself an upset victor over Yoo Nam Kyu), and Wang's superb play against Samsonov.

In the round of 64 we witness and record perhaps the most stunning upset of the tournament as Olympic Gold Medalist,third seeded Liu Guoliang, is beaten convincingly by a qualifier, Aleksandar Karakasevic of Yugoslavia. We were drawn to this match by the screaming of fans standing at an outside court watching the drama unfold. Our camera reveals that Karakasevic is in a "zone," hitting off-the -bounce winner after winner from impossible angles to impossible angles. A look of fear and desperation is etched into Liu's face as he watches the fifth game slip away from him for an incredible loss at 21-13! Karakasevic looks unbeatable at that moment, but this illusion is broken in the next round as left-handed He Zhi Wen of Spain took him in three with the "old" Chinese style.

The same round of 32 sees Peter Karlsson go down to Werner Schlager of Austria, and recent world number one, J.M. Saive prove himself again vulnerable to choppers as Hiroshi Shibutani prevails at 12 in the fifth. Another minor upset sees Patrick Chila lose in a left-handed matchup against the emotional Milan Grman of Slovakia. We believe Grman is the clear winner of our "high-jump at victory" competition, first shown on our Wonderful and Wacky video, and further demonstrated after his earlier victory over Filimon (before Filimon could bask too long in the glory of having beaten Grubba).

Moving away from the upsets, we start to record the march to the Final of Vladimir Samsonov,as he starts to put together a string of victories over the best that Japan and China have to offer. Fresh from his first round destruction of Japan #3 Iwasaki (6,6,9!), he faces Ma Lin of China. This match renews our belief that the youthful Samsonov is the heir-apparent to Waldner's claim to being the player with the smoothest and most effortless appearing style of play. Ma Lin is helpless (-16,-9, -16) as he watches his hardest kills blocked without Samsonov appearing to move, and in some cases Ma's most vicious loops are blasted back past him before he can even blink. Meanwhile, on another court, Korea's hope for a medal, in the form of Kim Taek Soo, has the misfortune to meet another Chinese newcomer waiting to make his move. Yan Sen is a left-handed attackerwith a style reminiscent of that displayed by Hugo Hoyama in the Atlanta Olympics. Yan would serve, and though the return might be just inches from the net, he would pounce on the ball and kill at will with the speed and instinct of a cobra. Never have we seen a player as quick and with kills as unreturnable. Kim, however, no slouch himself, uses his athleticism and sheer power to stay in the match at 2-2. In the fifth game, at 15-15 Yan serves and kills four straight. Kim recovers for one point, but to no avail as Yan Sen wins at 21-17. The large contingent of Chinese fans in the audience has much to cheer about, and cheer they did.

One of the early stories of this tournament was the play of Kalinikos Kreanga of Greece. In team competition he registers wins against Fetzner, Samsonov, and Yang Min, among others. A superb spinner, he sports one of the most feared backhands in the game. In the round of 32 he is matched against Ma Wenge, the perennial powerhouse competing for China. And what a match it is! Ma 21-19 in the first, Kreanga 21-19 in the second. At 2-1 in the third, the umpire calls a point for Wenge saying Kreanga moved the table. Wenge puts the next serve into the net to protest the unfairness. The crowd applauds the gesture. This is followed by a brilliant highlight point, then another as these two evenly matched players show the crowd what two talented spinners can do. 19-19, 21-21, 22-22, as Kreanga not only meets every attempt by Ma to dominate, but also moves ahead to win at 24-22. More of the same in the fourth game as these two fierce competitors refuse to give an inch. Again we are tied at 19, 21, 22, 23...Ma's face shows his thoughts..."What do I have to do to beat this guy?"...but beat him he does at 25-23! In the fifth game, Ma Wenge's experience prevails over Kreanga's flair. Ma moves ahead into the round of 16.

In the round of 16, Yan Sen goes against Johnny Huang of Canada, '96 Olympic winner over Waldner. Yan's speed and his ability to block Huang's pips-out smashes produce a five game victory. The audience is now fully aware that this deadly killer is going to be awfully hard to beat. In another round of 16 matchup, Kong Linghui dispatches Werner Schlager in four, to move into the quarter-finals.

In the other end of Kong's draw, Samsonov meets yet another Chinese player, the surprising Wang Liqin. These are two tall, powerful and gifted players--Samsonov has proven himself to become world #4, Wang has arrived unheralded to sweep through early rounds. Their complementing European spinning styles produce great table tennis for the spectators, with long back-from-the-table rallies that result in highlight point after highlight point. Samsonov prevails in the first at 16, but Wang returns with a vengeance to overpower him at 21-10. The third game is a see-saw battle until 9-9 when Wang opens up even more with his heavy artillery...moving ahead 18-11. Samsonov digs in and starts returning service with slow topspin instead of short backspin...blocks the opening shot and takes control of each point. Down 15-18, 16, 17, 18! What a comeback! Now 20-20, 21-21, 22-22. Samsonov pulls ahead to 23-22 when Wang opens up first with a loop to the backhand, driving Samsonov back to the barrier, one backhand lob, two, three, four...and trying even harder, Wang loops off the table to put Samsonov ahead 2-1. In the fourth, Wang becomes a can't miss machine! He moves ahead again to 18-12. Can Samsonov meet Wang's intensity? 13, 14, 15...is he actually doing it again? Now 17-19, 18-19. At this time another highlight point for the record books..no less than ten Wang loops to the backhand...with corresponding soft sidespin returns from Samsonov...until Wang again misses, and after that miss, Samsonov wins the 21st and match point with a flourish. Another great comeback! Samsonov returned from the dead twice to win the match of the tournament...but that's our opinion...you can decide for yourself when you see the videos.

Before we have time to recover from that great match, we find ourselves recording another battle of left-handers, this time two of the best in the world...Jean-Philippe Gatien, former world champion from France, and Wang Tao, World and Olympic doubles champion. Both are best at off-the-bounce counter looping. Gatien moves ahead 14-11 in the first game, beating Wang to the punch time after time. It is amazing to see 25 points played without a single trademark forehand counter from Wang. Gatien is just too fast, and has added a strong backhand loop to his arsenal...so the first game goes to him 21-19. Wang makes a little run in the second, but Gatien retaliates by killing everything before Wang has a chance, and takes the next two games at 17, and with them the match.

Waldner, having disposed of Lupulesku in the round of 32, meets Primorac in the round of 16. This is usually a tough battle to the wire, but Waldner seems to be playing at a level beyond belief..the result being a sweep of the match, and into the quarter-finals.

Yan Sen against He Zhi Wen is a left-handed battle between Yan's modern style and He's traditional short-pips penhold game. This first of the quarter-final matches is tightly contested, but although Yan loses the second at 19, his speed prevails in four.

The Quarter-finals

Kong Linghui meets his countryman, Ma Wenge, in a match that belies the difference in their respective world rankings. These players obviously know each other's games. This match is a textbook exhibition of serve, serve return and follow as practiced by two of the best in the world. Mark this match on your VCR, and use it as the ultimate "how to" video. In this case, the defending world champion dominates in the fifth game to take it at 12, and with it the match.

The next quarter-final is between Samsonov and yet another Chinese opponent, Ding Song, who waltzed his way through the early rounds and disposed of Grman in three in the round of 16. Ding first made his mark in Tianjin in '95, baffling European after European with his chopping skills followed by his overpowering loopkill. Only Kong, overwhelming against choppers, managed to beat him in Tianjin. Samsonov proves himself equally at home against Ding's game, not giving Ding any pace with which to counter, and putting away any return within reach. On one exchange, Samsonov loops the ball so softly, yet with so much spin, that Ding actually chops it into the bottom of the table. You have to see this to believe it! Samsonov prevails easily at 13, 9, 10.

The last of the quarter-finals pits Waldner against the much improved Gatien. Waldner starts out smoking..and improves from there! Gatien is flashier...but Waldner just does the right thing every time. Never has a player been so in control of each point...each game...each match...moving Gatien around at will. Waldner wins the first at 7! In the second game Gatien comes back, fighting for every point, so it takes a little longer for Waldner to put him down 22-20. In the third game, Waldner takes over completely again and puts the match away 21-14.

The first match of the Semi-Finals, between Waldner and Yan Sen, starts out as another story altogether. Yan serves first, and when Waldner returns short, Yan tees off so quickly on the ball that it seems he never moved..but the ball is gone..and again on the second serve...and the third..and Waldner finds himself down 0-5..and before he can adjust, 3-11! Has Waldner finally met his Waterloo? Yan's quick smash doesn't give Waldner the chance to play his smart control game. This game so far is reminiscent of his losses in Tianjin to Liu Guoliang and in Atlanta to Johnny Huang. But Waldner..just in time...finds an answer. He returns deep to Yan's forehand, and with more time to respond, Waldner anticipates the crosscourt smash and blocks it easily. He then gets into his kind of countering game. He puts his best serves into play, and Yan drops a few into the net. On Waldner's next serve, Yan tries even harder, but, unbelievably, his return goes under the net! You'll see that serve when you study this match on tape, and you will probably see it again in our next sequel to our Wonderful and Wacky highlight tape. Before Yan has a chance to recover, the score has changed from 11-3 in his favor to 15-17 favor of Waldner...then 17-21. It gets worse after that as Waldner continues his strategy to dominate in the second and third games at 14 and 12.

The other semi-final match is quite another story. We are down to the last Chinese player in the Men's division, defending World Champion Kong Linghui, facing Vladimir Samsonov, the man responsible for destroying many of Linghui's teammates' hopes. The audience, and our camera, are anxiously awaiting this match that will test the mettle of this rising star from Belarus. Samsonov receives service, and drops the ball so short that Kong has difficulty opening, and Samsonov pulls ahead 3-2, then 6-3. These are two "heavyweights" feeling each other out. They are well matched, and take turns in demonstrating the best that table tennis has to offer. Samsonov utilizes his patented high-toss serve to great effect until Kong finds an answer for a while, but then Samsonov, with no apparent effort, takes control to go ahead 20-15. Kong cranks up a killer loop down the backhand, only to see it blocked back down the forehand for an ace return..and the game. The second game is a match of skill, as they trade long forehand loops, with Samsonov winning most exchanges...then they test each other on the short game...with a series of close-to-the-net-drop shots..with Samsonov again coming out ahead. Some more brilliant long rallies provide the audience with table tennis as it was meant to be...and they respond with a wave to end all waves...going around the arena no less than three times. Kong takes the third game at 17 by throwing caution to the wind, cranking up his best shots without hesitation, but at the end, Kong, the perfect technician, is bested in four by the even better Samsonov...in a match to remember!

In Men's doubles, Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang best Waldner and Persson in five games, to take the gold, while Deng Yaping takes the Women's title for the last time, as she announces her retirement from competition.

Now, much to everyone's surprise, we have a Men's Final with two Europeans, Waldner and Samsonov.No one who has seen their superb play in this tournament, however, doubts that they truly belong in this deciding match. Despite Waldner's brilliance, those with the urge to bet were picking Samsonov to drive Waldner from the table and win. Waldner, however, starts off on a tear, and it seems that nothing can stop him. Samsonov uses his best serves and Waldner effortlessly kills them. Before anyone realizes it, the score is 15-7 favor of Waldner. Samsonov tries to match Waldner's intensity, but to no avail. At 20-12 Samsonov steps into his best forehand loop, only to see it casually blocked cross court for a clear winner and the game. The intensity, if possible, goes up another notch in game two. Samsonov moves out ahead 4-1 with a series of serves and kills with a capital K. Waldner now exhibits an all-out offensive game as he fights to take back control at 17-17. He moves ahead on Samsonov's serve, putting away the best that is thrown his way. At 20-17 Samsonov tries his most difficult high-toss serve, and follows with a slice flick to the backhand. Waldner steps around his forehand and blaaasts away...and in a blink of the eye it is 21-17. In the third Samsonov tries even harder, but to no avail. He returns Waldner's serves well enough, but Waldner does some magic, and it is 12-8. We haven't seen Waldner this determined since Barcelona, but this time he is showing even more aggressiveness in addition to his great versatility. Samsonov plays well enough to beat any normal mortal...but Waldner is playing at a level never before seen in World Championship competition. Samsonov digs deeper...but his best shots come blasting past him as Waldner smells victory...and then with a final awesome kill to make it 21-13, Waldner falls to the floor in tears as he realizes that he is again World Champion! The Swedish team punctuates the achievement by doing their Waldner high toss to send their star as high as his spirits at that moment!

As we sit in our studio editing our footage, and reliving some of these moments, we find ourselves thankful for the opportunity to share with you the excitement of this great Championship event. We are thrilled with the quality of the footage produced by our new digital cameras and editing system, and are anxious to get your feedback after you see the videos. To summarize our impressions of the 44th World Table Tennis Championships, the story seems to be the success of the French team to take the silver medal and the continued dominance of the deep Chinese team in team competition, the unusually large number of early upsets in Men's Singles competition that made spectators of Persson, Karlsson, Grubba, J.M. Saive, Rosskopf and Guoliang, the emergence of new stars in Yan Sen and Wang Liqin and of potential stars in Kalinkos Kreanga and Aleksandar Karakasevic...and most importantly, the realization of the potential of Vladimir Samsonov and the re-emergence of the most dominant player in recent memory, Jan-Ove Waldner. In checking through our footage we suddenly realized that in the Individual Competition, Waldner, playing against the best the world had to offer, did not lose a single game!!

This tournament also conclusively answered the question as to whether the game has become too fast for audience appreciation. There are those who suggest in various table tennis journals that a larger ball should be introduced to slow the game down. The reality is that the players have become even faster and the game has become more exciting to watch as a result. The 44th WTTC had more longer and exciting rallies than we can ever recall, so we trust you will enjoy the championships with the assistance of your easy chair and VCR and that the great stars will inspire you to enjoy even more the game we all love.

 

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