Just caught Wang Chuqin’s run at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships at Astana… what a ride! Despite not bagging a single’s medal, Wang delivered as the “Player X” of the Chinese men’s national team, playing like the lead in a high-stakes drama. And things started… a little shaky.

Right out of the gate, Wang Chuqin got ambushed by a 14-year-old Iranian wonder teenager. No kidding, Benyamin Faraji, who was probably still cramming for a middle school test between matches, took down the world #1 in five sets. The kicker? Rumors were swirling that CNT didn’t even get a chance to practice with the official game ball, a new edition of the 729 seamless ball, before Wang’s match. Since Wang was the first Chinese player on the court, he was also the first to experience them in actual play, not exactly an ideal way to break them in. And the CNT coach, Xiao Zhan, was even seen literally asking officials for the exact game balls after Wang’s first game. Wait, what? 😅 So you’re telling me the CNT’s days of preparation meant nothing?

Why was this a problem? Well, this particular ball was lighter and had a different bounce, something many players openly commented on later. Being lighter, it was harder for strong forehand attackers like Wang Chuqin to generate power, while favoring players who relied on long-pips or the spin-heavy backhand. Apparently, the higher the player’s level, the greater the impact and the longer the adjustment period. And if I remember correctly, Faraji had, what, 9 or 10 lucky points? (plus even more non-scoring lucky balls.) That was also the impact of the new seamless balls, I think. (For more on the seamless ball, check out my full post: How Seamless Balls Broke the Game’s Rhythm)

I’m not here to throw shade on Faraji, who played like a rising star. But it was weird how the headlines only focused on and mocked Wang’s “shocking” defeat, completely ignoring the equipment issues. It felt like a Hollywood movie that jumps straight to the big twist with zero context. Does it make for a juicy headline? Sure. Worth-watching? Not really.

After that “hold my racket” moment, Wang Chuqin went on a tear:

• Danced past Noshad Alamiyan (3-1) to make up for the point he lost to Faraji just an hour earlier
• Turned Oh Junsung and An Jaehyun into training drills (both 3-1)
• Wrapped up Kao Cheng-Jui’s run quicker than I gave up on my New Year’s resolutions (3-0) (See my other post for the Wang vs. Kao showdown.)

But the real MVP moment? That five-set thriller against Lin Yun-Ju in the men’s team final. Down two sets (the first was a horrific 1-11 😱), Wang Chuqin clawed his way back in a nail-biting third set so sweet it’ll give you cavities. He sealed the game 3-2 against Lin, securing China a 3-1 victory and defending their title. Jayden and I were practically screaming at the TV screen – YouTube livestream at lunchtime – while he was frying shrimp that ended up burning. No one could ignore Wang’s exhaustion and the strain on his chest muscles and left arm. By the end, he had played four games (16 sets!) in one day.

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