4K FULL MATCH _ Lin Shidong vs Hiroto Shinozuka _ MT SF _ 2025 Asian Team Championships

Now, it's on to Lin Shidong. Lin Shidong, as someone who lost that match yesterday, so much pressure. It's not just team pressure there, but also individual pressure. It's like carrying two big heavy bags on each shoulder. That's off well though. That's off very well. Lin Shidong, he's got to be in that zone, Sachin. In that zone. Cut out all the noise. Block everything. Bazooka. An explosive start to this match already. What are we in for here, Sachin? It was quite a bazooka. Look at that. He turned around. Perfect down the line. Hiro Toshino's bazooka is ranked 31 in the world. We've seen bigger things happen here. That's ripping backhand. Looks like Hiroto has mastered the art of lightning backhand and forehand. Now, for the table tennis fans, I would also like to tell you one more thing that, if by chance, Lin Shidong wins here, this entire match, we will have a fourth one for sure. And that is one to watch out for. Tomokazu Harimoto against Wang Chuqin. Mouthwatering. I know we haven't had our dinner, but this is more mouthwatering. Certainly, these players can definitely go for the ice, but we cannot. But yes, right now, when it comes to the nation, both the countries are fighting tooth and nail in this powerful battle. And a tough job is being given right now to Lin Shidong. Some of the messages that I am early getting on my WhatsApp. Yes, please do tell us. Enlighten us. The vote is right now going in favor of Japan. But anything can happen. There's a strong contender from China. He's there. And Lin Shidong has already shouldered this responsibility earlier and given a victory to China. So, of course. And we were talking about the pressure. We were talking about the gold medal and the other medals, other colors of the Olympics. And that's what China prepares their player for. Now, look at the pressure on this player called Lin Shidong. He would be under so much pressure because this time, China is already down by 2-0. Their status and every challenge. Their status is being challenged. I can imagine the pressure on to that player. Think about the pressure. Think about the pressure section. And I chose a career in the commentary box. We can watch all these matches, keeping our hearts aside. And we can just look at the action out there in the middle and appreciate Lin Shidong slowly taking the lead. 7-5. Look at the determination of Shidong. He didn't... The ball touched the edge of the table and he lifted from behind. Can you see the focus? Can you see the determination? Shinozuka may have felt that he missed out on that occasion, but this time, he gets that point in. Hiroto to serve. 6-8. So, Hiroto had not played that last match. Now, that's a good passage of play for him. Gets 7. So, Sachin, Hiroto had actually not played the quarter-final. It was Shunsuke Togami who had played. And in fact, Shunsuke had beaten Oh Junsung of... Toria Republic, 11... In fact, he had lost, I beg your pardon, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8. So, maybe they made that change, hoping that in the third game, there will be someone who might add in a different dimension as he now equalises. Good comeback by Hiroto here. Lead service. Hiroto gave deep into the backhand. Shidong came back with a heavy-duty backhand spin shot. Getting away with this point, 9-8. Shidong definitely would want to keep Japan under pressure by winning first game. But Hiroto, quietly, making a space for himself, came back with that lightning forehand in the centre. Certainly, taking away the point, 9-all. He knows that he has a service. Can he do the magic? Can he bring some surprise? It's a day of surprises by the looks of things, so you can never write them off. Well, he's going to now move to game point, Sachin. Yes. Now, what do you expect? Now, put yourself in Shinozuka's shoes. What are you thinking? How are you going to plan that serve? The shoe size is much smaller of Hiroto. I checked it. He wears the 8 size and I wear 10. Okay, out the game. Off the net, though, and now it's a... use yet again, 10-a-piece, 10-all. Lin will get that... So, as we begin, serves alternate right now, once we go past the 10-point mark, just as a reminder for our viewers. Lin is now on game point. Hiroto, literally, did a somersault for that powerful backhand, a bit unlucky. Defending the match point, game point, right now. Shidong gave back a powerful backhand, well-dogged by Hiroto. Missing on to the topspin, it's 11-all. Well, compared to his teammates, Shinozuka seems to have a much calmer disposition in terms of his celebrations. There are no theatrics. That was undefendable, to be honest. It was hit, and it was hit hard by Lin over there. And he's got another game point now. Sachin, what are you going to serve? If you're right there. 12-all. Yeah, golden time. It was your youth, my childhood. Shidong to serve. The match, the rally, is becoming powerful and getting longer. Beautiful block by Shidong, but couldn't defend that point. That forehand was deep in the body. Now... Yes, and now he's got the game point. All the while, it was Lin getting those game points after the 10-point mark. Can he put the pressure? I can expect some surprise. Yes! Hiroto did the job that Japan wants him to do. The dependable here, got the game here, the first game. That actually puts the Japan onto a strong footing here. Wang Hao on screen, explaining what is he doing. Is there a bit of panic there? A little bit of panic. When was the last time that they were really tested like this? I can only understand one thing, that why are you giving soft slice? Why don't you slice when you're giving him... Give him a deep slice there. Here at the Kalinga Stadium, the stars of the table tennis world have descended. We've got going on October 11th. Yes, it's October 11th, and let me tell you, on the other side, Indian team is playing for their position matches. Women team, Yashaswini Ghorpade. But right now, certainly, all eyes are on table number one, where the status of dictator is being challenged by Japan. Hiroto to serve. He's hit that out, and Lin, just a little bit animated as we begin that game, gets that first point. Look at that rally, and ultimately, it's Shirozuka who fails to get it past the net. It bounced onto his own side, and that last rally lasted 12 shots. Artificial intelligence at its best from Supa, while trying to count that. And here, early in this match, Lin, or rather this game, Lin has taken the advantage. Moves up to four-love. Lin has just come out with a different mindset. He just wants to be aggressive, get that initiative back towards the Chinese. And that's again a mark of how determined he is. He tried to smash that, but then, it just went a little bit long. Hit that very hard, giving Shirozuka his first point. Shirozuka mustn't get under pressure. Of course, he's up against someone who has dominated him in the past. Their most recent encounter was during the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Shen Yun earlier this year. Lin Shindong had won that three-love. And this lead is growing now, Sachin. He has moved up to six-one. So, the response so far has been formidable from Lin. But he hits that one out twice. Yes, absolutely. Bit of a dominance here by China. And for the first time, I would see that China seems to be in a little dominating position. Both the players of Japan completely defended the fourth. Not allowed China to breathe at all. Yes, in comparison, if you actually look at the rankings as well, in the rankings, Shirozuka is down at number 31 according to the latest placements. Coming into this tournament, he was at number 28. So, after the latest update, he's gone down three places. But there will be a difference, of course, because the players who came earlier, the Japanese players, much higher ranked, like Soramatsu Shima, is up at 16, and Harimoto is fourth. Completely dominating in this particular game. Giving absolute no room of confidence to Hiroto with any of his powerful in-shots. It's a big deficit here. Lin is poised to win this game and equalize. As easy as they come for Lin, he has equalized. Is this the beginning of a Chinese resurgence here in the semi-final of the Asian Table Tennis Team Championship? A bit of a quiet discussion in Japan's corner, unlike China's, then. Wang Hao from the screen, I can tell you. Yes, you can see the lot more animated guidance there. Even to watch this match actually can be energy-sapping, bro. One might just imagine what it is like out there in the middle. When, of course, there's the weight of expectations. Not just the expectations of your fans, your supporters, but your own expectations about anything else. And also, also the motivation and the urge to prove yourself. Lin, completely dominating, devastating from the point one. Getting the first point for China. Oh, made a mistake on the serve there. Gifted a point. He wasn't very generous during that previous game. At some point, Shinozuka will also feel the pressure. It's also because of the standard set by his teammates earlier and the urge to live up to it. That shot certainly lived up to that standard. Yes, Hiroto has been waiting for the chance to again show a lot more power. This time, two-all, Lin to serve. Oh, that was quite far from the table. Landed to a different zip code of Bhuvaneshwar. Maybe it was landing in Cuttack. Oh, gone off the net and out wide. Lin gradually imposing himself in this match. Remember, if we go all the way, this is the only match we are going to get to see Lin Shidong. Because if and if this goes into five games, five matches that is, then the Chinese players stated to play are Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun. Absolutely, Hiroto has a tough task to do because he knows that if he doesn't get this, it can, anything can happen. And Hiroto, just maybe losing the initiative here. Lin Shidong being quite aggressive and also decisive. That service, very well-placed, made Shinozuka stretch a little bit. He tried to put it across, but that's gone wide. Onto his own net and Lin exalts. Maybe, just maybe feels that he's coming back. That shot, in fact, that rally lasted 11 shots. Yes, absolutely. Lin is doing a brilliant job down there in the middle. Hiroto, a bit out of rhythm. Missing onto that power backhand again, giving one more point to Shidong. Yes, and it's not just about the fact that Lin has played well, but Shinozuka has also committed those errors, hasn't he? Absolutely, right now, he has been committing. You can see the, you can hear the grunt, the way Shidong is putting all his energy down there. He's not allowing him to get even a single game. Yes, and over there, there wasn't much that Shinozuka could have done because it went past him like a rocket. Now, up to nine points. Oh, that's a beautiful block by Lin Shidong there. Yes, what a block. What a block. And now, he's got a chance to go 2-1 up. Lin Shidong hits that out. Still a long deficit, though, for Shinozuka to attempt a comeback. Sheer dominance by Shidong. Six game points. Again, loses another game point, though, but still, he's got a five-point cushion. This time, it's done for Lin. He has gone 2-1 up. This was also convincing, 11-5. So, after losing the first game, 14-12, Lin Shidong doing what he does best with 11-2 and 11-5. Sachin, now Wang Hao having a discussion with Lin, and this is possibly one of those discussions where he feels that maybe now is the time that we can really put our foot through the door. Yes, certainly. Wang Hao is... Maybe looks like he's asking Shidong to push him out to the deep forehand there. Don't allow Hiroto to use that power attack. Don't give him any opportunity. Push him, press him with your power backhands onto forehand. China, standing there tall to defend their position. Hiroto, to serve. Cuts off very well. He is trying to rally a march from China into the final. The hurdle before them is this spirited Japanese unit. Once more, he misses the table and the celebration gets louder. Wang Hao has mentored so many champion Chinese players. One of them, of course, one celebrated all around the globe. Fan Zhendong. Fan Zhendong, of course, a former world number one, an Olympic gold medalist. Made everybody proud in China. Now, just focusing on Lin as we take that timeout now. It's an apt time to take a timeout here from Japan. So, Sachin, if you have to look back, you see a Lin Shidong here, just the way that he's playing. And a man called Fan Zhendong. How do you look at their styles? Do you see something similar, be it anything? You mean, Fan Zhendong has a, I would say, his forehand style as well as the backhand style, both have an equal power. In fact, Fan Zhendong's backhand is so spinny as well as so much of power that the way he makes room for attacking, converting the attack is commendable. I guess if he would have been in this tournament, maybe in place of Liang Jingkun, China would have been in a different position altogether. Because handling his backhand spin speed power as well as forehand is not easy. And you can throw him in any corner of the table. He has the power to come back from and put the ball on the table. And of course, you look back at the legacy of the likes of Fan Zhendong and Ma Long. Ma Long, obviously, the greatest of all time, having won two consecutive Olympic golds. A good start, post the timeout for Zuka, attacking Lin there on his backhand. Gets his first point in this fourth game. Misses on the serve. Oh, it's off the net, sorry. It's 4-2 now. Towel break. The only other match that is going on is on table number three. And it's for the seventh and eighth position. India and Hong Kong, China are deadlocked at 2-2. And it's now gone into the fifth game, fifth match with Swastika Ghosh taking on Su Duzhung. It's for the first time right now, into the stadium I am hearing less cheer for India, not because they're not supporting them, but yes, such a power match is going on between Fan and China. Yeah, all eyes are on table number one, the centre court, if I may say. Lin Shidong doing a phenomenal job here. Quietly taking away... Or rather I would say stealing the show quietly from Hiroto. Oh, he catched the ball, he caught it. He was like John T. Rhodes in the middle of the table, just got that ball in his hand. Well, for the unversed viewers joining us from around the globe, that is a reference to the sport of cricket where a lot of actions involve catching the ball and John T. Rhodes was one of the finest in terms of doing that. Shinozuka just holding on, just holding on. Although you may sense that the margin of... You know, the points is just one and... Okay, there's a timeout now. Another timeout, this time from the Chinese side of things. Bit of a breather here for the players. Last finishing touches by Wong Hao. Shinozuka just getting a little bit of mentorship and tips from his coach and teammates. Still don't see Harimoto Chomakazu over there. Chomakazu may have just gone to cool down a touch. Calm before the storm. A pause, actually. The match has been a storm completely. Timeout proving effective there for Japan as Shinozuka draws level here in this fourth game. Backhand of Hiroto. But Lin still manages to steal that point and moves up 7-6. All Wang Hao must have told him that just close out this encounter. Just close it out. Take it 3-1. Don't let it go into the fifth game. If Shinozuka is going to play like that, then there's a very good possibility that we are going into a fifth game. Bit of a misjudgment by Pidong. Very unlikely you see that such higher-ranked players make some mistake of the serve received. Practiced a lot. He's placed that well and that's gone past Shinozuka who didn't have the time to outstretch his hand and then return it. 8-7. What do you think, Sachin? Are we heading into a fifth game? Only two points away now from winning this contest here, Lin Shidong. He could be the man who would turn the ship around for China. Or at least pivot it a little bit. Shinozuka still holding on. Still holding on. May just be a step behind. But he is just trying to keep pace here with Lin Shidong. It's 9-9 all. 9 all. Okay, now you answer my question. Are we going into a fifth one? Who is not the answer? Come on. Tell me. Let me watch this point. Well, he's got a game point now. Now you tell me. A lot depends upon the receive that Hiroto will do for this particular one. And look at this. Shidong surprised him with the long deep service into the backhand. Looks that shows the confidence there into the middle. Yes, now Shinozuka serves. Almost a similar strategy applied by Hiroto. Tit for tat. Long services to each other. This time, Shidong is completely taken aback and surprised. Taking away the game point for Hiroto. This time, Hiroto turned around with that power shot. Taking to the next game now. Decider. That's quite a shot. Hiroto did a commendable job here. At some point of time, it looked like that Shidong was in complete control over this game. China's squad is returning to the table and we could see Liang Jingkun moving back. Oh, my word. This has been a sparkling display by the Japanese unit. Hiroto Shinozuka. After those two games in the middle, you would have thought that he has lost steam because Lin Shidong bounced back to win them 11-2, 11-5. But then he pulled out every ounce of energy from his tank and then produced a result. 12-10 to take this into the fifth game. China in danger. China in real danger. It's Japan who are threatening their status as the champions of Asia. Both players now coming towards the table tennis table. It's going to be Lin Shidong to serve to start things off in this important fifth game. That's off well. That's off very well. Lin Shidong gave everything what he had for this shot. Look at the way he rotated his wrist and the hand. With so much of power, absolute sheer dominance. Yes, you're right, sheer dominance. Shinozuka with the serve, what's he got? Go on for this point! What a rally! What a rally! Shidong from behind. Tried to convert the backhand to the forehand. But absolute sheer... It's a 21 firecracker rally. Let me say it again. It's a firecracker rally of 21 shots. Super score on your screen. 21 shot long and this is how intense this match is. Lin manages to get a point there. Tried to go for it. Tried to go for it but misses. Now, it's Lin Shidong who's made the error. Gives another point. A towel break. Both the teams are done with their timeouts. Unlike the previous match, Sachin, where Sora Matsushima waited right until the fifth game to use his timeout. We aren't going to have any of those provisions here. Oh, Hiroto. That receive was on to the body. Yeah, but it hit the net also along the way. So, he just put his hand up as well there, Lin Shidong. Yes, absolutely. That's a lucky point out there. And China certainly needs this kind of luck because we have seen Sora had got a lot of lucky points on a critical juncture there. That's a good response. Getting one more point here. Slowly trying to close on to that gap. But still very far. In such critical matches, every point takes a lot of energy. Again, it's 4-5. Quietly. I'm just wondering, the way Hiroto is coming back. Can he be the hero? The Hiroto of the match. Oh, at the moment, Lin wants to be the hero for his team. All he has to do is win this game. Then, leave it to Wang Chuqin and Lian Jingkun. A good serve there, moves up to 5-7. But the serve has now gone back to Lin, so it's going to be Lin to serve. It was quite an intelligent service. That shows that Hiroto's sheer perseverance. He knows that Japan is already leading by two points. Can he do it? It's 8-5. Hiroto missing out to that spinny backhand. Response by Lin Shidong. Oh, just made him draw forward. Blew him forward, rather. Koshinozuka, while Lin Shidong has got the lead, Shinozuka is still holding on. Come on, it's gone a little bit quiet here. I don't know why. Maybe it's just everyone's so focused on table number one. What a return! It was blocked by Lin Shidong. It was an empty corner. And there was no way that Shinozuka was going to move that far and then attempt a return. You can see that now Lin Shidong is fighting for his nation. Missed it! And that's going to be match point for Lin Shidong to take us forward. Lin Shidong lifted the emotions in the Chinese corner there. You can see in the Chinese corner, standing ovation by Wang Hao. What a game! What a perseverance! At some point of time, it looked like that Shidong is going to get 3-0, but nowhere. Hiroto, fullback. But again, Shidong defended the great wall of China there. Well, we are now going to go into a clash of the true titans.