Kuwait Open: Ai Fukuhara-Guo Yan

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**Important**

**This clip is the property of TMS International on behalf of the ITTF and the full match can be seen on the ITTF TV channel.**

Table Tennis: 2010 Kuwait Open - ITTF Pro Tour, Kuwait City, KUW, Feb 23 - Feb 27. Women's Singles Semifinal.

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[symphonicrain1]

Well, like tyoungos said, chinese team's caution against Fukuhara will be stronger because of this tournament. But I have a high expectation that Fukuhara' comeback. As long as I know, her basic tactics and playstyle have been the same for a long time. She has simply improved her skills. So i dont think Chinese coach would try to find her new weakness or make new tactics, but they will keep playing Fukuhara like they do now. My cheers for her effort.

[tyoungos]

Guo Yan lost because she unknowingly played to the mellow Jap girl's strength, namely her nasty and consistent backhand. Guo should have showered most of her shots on Ai's relatively weak forehand, or 2/3 of the table on Ai's right hand side. Though it is unorthodox, believe me, it works! I'm sure the smart Chinese head coach will figure it out soon after they review the match on the video tape -- and Ai's latest comeback is doomed. ☆☆☆☆☆

[InvinsibleChew]

@halite001 While Ding Ning and LiXiaoXia do have a style of playing spinny forehand topspin, and so far that is the most key thing Ai couldn't handle well (her drive has low accuracy against this kind of topspin)

[InvinsibleChew]

@halite001 One thing that Lixiaoxia's forehand works is not because of her speed but her spin. Guo Yan's forehand topspin style is usually a good combination of speed and spin (relative to the emphasis of speed in GuoYue and that of spin in LiXiaoXia). But against Ai, this moderate combination does not work as well. In fact using speed to play against Ai is probably not the best idea because of the rubber Ai uses, and that's quite proved when we look at how GuoYue usually played against her.

[DaKrazedKyubizt]

@kaikaz no they don't. liu shiwen moved the ball around quite a bit more. guo yan stayed relatively fixed on fukuhara's backhand side.

[tyoungos]

@halite001 I am very impressed by your analysis of Guo Yan's pioneering style, a style of the future. You're right. Guo Yan just beat Fukuhara in a straight set in the latest match. Today ALL top woman Chinese players beat Fukuhara like business as usual. She will never have a chance to win WTTC this year and Olympics next year.

[halite001]

@tyoungos Also, If Guo Yan plays to the forehand of Fukuhara, if Fukuhara does a drive diagonally to Guo Ya'`s fh she has to go far away to counterloop, instead of a simple drive that Li Xiaoxia, Liu Shiwen would do. Guo yan's style was known as a pioneering style, a style of the future. Apparently the style is too far ahead of its time, proven by how players such as Jiang Huajun, Wang Yuegu, Tie Yana, Bai Yang, Cao Zhen, and Fukuhara had beaten her, all with simple styles and fast bh.

[halite001]

@tyoungos Actually Guo Yan has to play differently than either guo yue or ding ning because she has a slower pace. If she were to play it all to fukuhara's forehand she could not catch up with the fast forehand drives of Fukuhara. Also Fukuhara has a forehand drive that goes down the line to guo yan's backhand, where guo yan has a very weak return. Guo Yue and Ding Ning, being left handers, do not have that problem. Li Xiaoxia, being faster than Fukuhara, also does not have that problem.

[kaikaz]

Look at the match Liu shiwen and Guo Yan, they both use the same tactics.