How Fan Zhendong nullified the unconventional methods of giant-slaying Truls Moregard to preserve Chinese domination in TT

Table tennis world order was restored after China’s Fan Zhendong beat Sweden’s World No. 26 Truls Moregard 4-1 (7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8) to win the men’s singles title at the Paris Olympics in a match that saw the 22-year-old Swede win the first game, play a snake shot when down 2-9 in the fifth and engage in at least seven reel-worthy rallies of the highest quality.

Playing in his first-ever Olympics, Moregard, with his unorthodox bat and playing style, stunned the might of China when he upset World No. 1 Wang Chuqin in the Round of 32. It sent shockwaves around the table tennis world when Chuqin said that Moregard’s service variations did him in. A top Chinese beaten by service variations at the Olympics, an event in which China has won both gold and silver men’s singles medals on the last four occasions! Unheard of.

After the first game in the final on Sunday, China, with an estimated 300 million people that play table tennis as a leisure sport, would’ve been in disbelief as Moregard raced away with an 11-7 win. This time it wasn’t just his service variation. It was his chop block, backhand push, and even a forehand slap that seemed to fox the 2023 Word Champion Zhendong.

Félicitations à FAN Zhendong pour la médaille d’or ! 🥇
Depuis 2008 le champion Olympique de tennis de table est chinois, et la série continue à #Paris2024 ! 🇨🇳
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Congratulations to FAN Zhendong for the gold medal! 🥇
Since 2008, the Olympic table tennis champion has been… pic.twitter.com/GEpqsvnixe

— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) August 4, 2024

Out of the ordinary

Everything about Moregard seems out of the ordinary. Firstly, he plays with the Stiga Cybershape bat which he first got his hands on only three years ago. It’s a slightly bigger paddle with hexagon edges. The company claims it has a bigger sweet spot which aids power-hitting and ball control. Against the might of Zhendong, who he had lost on four previous occasions, Moregard needed all the power-hitting and control.

Zhendong had redemption of his own on his mind. He missed out on selection for Rio 2016 and at the Tokyo Games, lost the final to Ma Long — arguably the greatest-ever table tennis player. With Ma Long only playing the team event this time, Zhendong would’ve believed he had a clear shot at the title. Little did he expect that the challenge would come from a Swede. Down a game and trailing 7-8 in the second, Zhendong faced the toughest test, especially since the Swede had won the last five points. He stuck to his strengths, a wide serve and a thunderous forehand.

It worked, he raced away with second, struggled but overcame some smart chop blocks in the third, and strolled away with the fourth, then let go of five match points before winning his first Olympic singles gold in the fifth. Zhendong had only one signal after his win — pointing to the Chinese flag on his jersey, as if to say that they still rule the roost.

Yet, this men’s singles event will undoubtedly be remembered because of Moregard and how he scared the Chinese with his hexagon paddle and unique playing style. Just like how the Chinese top women paddlers have been beaten on occasion in the past year by players with pimpled rubbers, the Chinese men too will be wary of players with hexagon paddles and unorthodox playing styles.

Lebrun takes bronze

17-year-old Felix Lebrun won France’s first table tennis medal since 2000, beating Brazilian Hugo Calderano 4-0 in the clash for the third place. In a matchup that was a repeat of the WTT Star Contender final in Goa earlier this year, the Brazilian, who too created history by becoming the first Brazilian to enter a TT semifinal at the Olympics, had no answer to the teenager’s attacking play. The raucous home support for Felix didn’t help either.

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