New-format tournament thrills table tennis fans

SINGAPORE — It was touted as a game changer for the sport of table tennis — a dynamic, new-format competition geared towards attracting a younger audience demanding quick, bite-sized moments of action.

Featuring 24-minute matches, kill-zone games and a mixed-team format, the US$1.75million (S$2.43 million) T2 Asia-Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC) gathered 24 of the world’s best players at the specially-built T2Cavern studio set at Pinewood Studios in Johor this week for the first of seven rounds of the inaugural tournament.

But some players were left puzzled and confused by the new rules and regulations, with the kill zone game of first to five points — which is implemented if a game is completed between 22min and 23.59min — proving particularly hard to grasp for athletes and fans.

However, despite the initial confusion, the innovative, new-format tournament drew mainly positive reviews from the players and captains.

Competing for the first time at T2APAC yesterday was Singaporean world No 4 Feng Tianwei, who represented Team Maze and played in the second singles against China’s Wu Yang (11).

She lost 4-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 6-3) after the 24-min game play.

“It was quite interesting, and more exciting as each point and each game become important,” said Feng after yesterday’s match.

“With the first two matches, it wasn’t so clear, but that got better later. During the fourth game, it wasn’t clear when the match ended … that was a bit confusing and messy.

“(But) I like this format because it helps get people more engaged during competitions, whether you’re losing or winning, it keeps you engaged.”

Former Danish international Michael Maze, the leader of TeamMaze, was also happy with how the new format played out at the T2Cavern, where some 200 invited guests caught the action in the purpose-built studio arena. The matches were also beamed “live” online via YouTube.

“This is a new system, a new format, and the players needed time to adjust to the new kill zone,” he said.

“It’s a very exciting format. Every match was very intense. That’s how it should be.”

Fans, however, may need some time to get used to the T2APAC.

Malaysian table tennis fans Tan Jia Yang and Ting Chun Ho — who are 12 and 13, respectively — were among the crowd at the T2Cavern yesterday, and while they enjoyed watching their idols live in action, the duo preferred the traditional best-of-seven format.

“I was happy that I got to see Timo Boll play. I like him because he’s a good player and he’s got a good serve,” said school team paddler Jia Yang, who was there with his teacher and team-mates.

Chun Ho added: “I like the old scoring system more, because they don’t have to count the time, and it feels like players are stopping halfway, and there’s no conclusion to the match. But I enjoyed myself, and I hope to see more players from China and Japan next time.”

The first T2APAC session yesterday saw Team Maze narrowly edging out Team JJ — led by five-time world champion Jiang Jialiang — in a 14-13 victory.

The three-day session ends on Friday, with five more rounds to be contested from July till November before the Grand Finals from Dec 7 to 9.

First session scores:

Team JJ vs Team Maze 13-14

Vladimir Samsonov (Belarus) drew Timo Boll (Germany) 2-2 (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 9-6)

Wu Yang (China) bt Feng Tianwei (Singapore) 4-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 6-3)

Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan) lost Alexandr Shibaev (Russia) 2-3 (8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 5-4 (kill zone)

Jeon Ji-hee (South Korea) lost Hina Hayata (Japan) 0-4 (6-11, 7-11, 7-11, 7-8)

Chuang Chih-Yuan (Taiwan) bt Chen Chien-An (Taiwan) 3-2 (10-11, 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 10-6)

Matilda Ekholm (Sweden) lost Yang Ha-eun (South Korea) 2-3 (9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 1-5 (kill zone)