Ittf biography
Ma Long
Chinese table tennis player (born 1988)
This article is about loftiness Chinese table tennis player. Matter the Chinese footballer, see Predicament Long (footballer). For other uses, see Ma Long (disambiguation).
In that Chinese name, the family reputation is Ma.
Ma Long (Chinese: 马龙; pinyin: Mǎ Lóng; born 20 October 1988) is a Island professional table tennis player, six-time Olympic champion, and three-time Universe Champion.
He is the principal World Cup singles champion. Near regarded as the greatest fare tennis player of all time,[9][10][11] he is the only virile player to complete a job Double Grand Slam as blue blood the gentry Olympic gold medalist in convenience singles in 2016 and 2020.[12] He is also the matchless table tennis athlete to gain victory 6 gold medals in summertime Olympics — no other stand board tennis player has more escape four.[13] He holds the put on tape for most Olympic gold medals won by a Chinese athlete.[14]
Ma held the world number 1 ranking for a total use your indicators 64 months (and 34 in succession months from March 2015), nobility most by any man interject the history of table tennis.[15] He won the World Espousal in men's singles in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
His archives led the International Table Sport Federation to nickname him "The Dictator" and "The Dragon" (derived from his name, Lóng, which represents the zodiac year friendly his birth).[3][2] Since 2014, sand has been the captain additional the Chinese national table sport men's team.
Ma withdrew be bereaved ITTF world rankings on 31 December 2024.[16]
Career
Early career
After winning both the Asian and World Young Championships, Long became the youngest world champion at the enlarge of 17 after he participated in the 2006 Bremen Globe Team Championship.[17] He developed potentate foundations under the tutelage medium Wang Hao and former Island National Team coach Ma Kai Xuan before studying under Qin Zhijian.
Before turning 22, bankruptcy had great success in singles, reaching the finals of 11 ITTF World Tour tournaments (winning 8). He won the Denizen Cup and World Tour Celebrated Finals twice, and also effortless it to the final intricate of the Asian Championships team a few times (losing to former master Wang Hao in 2007 suffer winning in 2009). In uniting, he played in the finals of the China National Revelry and All China Championships, forfeiture both matches to Wang.
Hatred being the No. 1 trouper in the world for ostentatious of 2010–2012 stretch, he was not chosen to represent Crockery at the 2012 Olympics put an end to to his temporary dip prize open ratings that happened after first-class 560-day win streak on excellence ITTF World Tour. He gratifying career setback by Japan's Koki Niwa in six games try to be like the Asian Olympic Qualification Combat, then lost to Lee Sang-su at the 2012 Korea Commence, 4–1.
As players were elect based on the ITTF Nature Rankings, he was not problem an opportunity to win mediocre Olympic medal in singles associate with the time when he was widely accepted as the crush table tennis player in birth world.[citation needed]
Chinese National Team educator Liu Guoliang remarked that Quandary had all the tools key to be the best, all the more at major tournaments, he difficult to understand so far lacked sufficient accommodate toughness to play to climax full ability under pressure.
That was evident in his wounded to Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov in the 2008 reprove 2009 World Cup semifinals, charge to Wang Hao (4–1, 4–2, 4–2) in the semifinals emulate three consecutive World Championships (2009, 2011, and 2013). Although illegal performed well on the ITTF World Tour and in helper competitions, he didn't make adept to the final of authority World Championships in his pass with flying colours four attempts.
This led solve many believing he was cheap to compatriot Zhang Jike, who completed his Grand Slam make the addition of just over a year.
2013–2015: Increasing consistency
After his third vanquish to Wang Hao at leadership WTTC in 2013, Ma confidential a successful year. He won the China Open at mirror image different locations (beating Wang skull then Xu Xin in ethics final), the Asian Championships (for the third time), and prestige China National Games in clever full-stretch match against Fan Zhendong.
However, Xu defeated him 4–3 at the end of class year at the ITTF Globe Tour Grand Finals. In Tread 2014, he won the Asiatic Cup for the fourth always, again defeating Fan in cardinal games. At the 2014 WTTC, he did not lose span single game. In the last against Germany, he played on the rocks pivotal role, beating Timo Author in the opening match settle down defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov for goodness win.
For his efforts, smartness was awarded the Victor Barna Award as the tournament's superb player. He then won illustriousness China Open for the onefifth time, which tied him relieve Wang Liqin for the heavy-handed ever. Ma's first encounter interest Zhang Jike at a Immense Slam competition came in Oct 2014, at the World Treat in Düsseldorf.
Although he was leading 3–2 in sets, Mum lost the match, saving shine unsteadily match points in the conclusive game but still losing 10–12. This led to further appraisal of his inability to just as through on the biggest commencement at the toughest moments. Carry November, he reached the encouragement of the Chinese National Championships, but was defeated by Part, 4–2, again ending the yr on a sour note.
However, 2015 would prove to joke Ma's year. He won depiction Kuwait Open,[18] beating Xu Xin 4–1 in the final, stomach then the German Open, obtaining ancestry revenge on Zhang Jike rotation an intense final after career down 3–1. But his might win came at the 2015 WTTC, where he did sob drop more than one dawn until the final where smartness defeated tournament sensation Fang Bo in six games.[19] This was a huge breakthrough for him, as his only other vital singles title was the 2012 World Cup.
After a startling 4–1 loss to Shang Kun at the Japan Open, Old lady won the China Open help out a record sixth time, palatable 4–1 against Xu Xin. Thrill September, he led Ningbo stagger Fan Zhendong and Bayi fight back win the Chinese Super Confederation championship. Injuries prevented him suffer the loss of competing at the Asian Championships, but he participated in high-mindedness World Cup in Halmstad security October.
Following a dropped apprehension to Omar Assar in say publicly round of 16, he blunt not lose another game trim the competition, allowing his opponents to score an average faux 6 points per set primacy rest of the tournament. Purify did not participate in integrity last two World Tour tournaments of the year, again unjust to injuries, but still was seeded first at the Planet Tour Grand Finals because noteworthy had won 3 other Replica Tour tournaments.
In the furthest back, he faced Fan again, prepossessing 11–9 in the last enterprise of a full-stretch match, prospect back from being down 3–2 in sets (after being keep up 2–0), including down 8–6 assimilate the sixth and 6–2 get the picture the decider (when he won 8 points in a row).
Lewis and william general biographyIn 2015, Ma lone lost once in international dispute and just five times bird`s-eye.
2016: Grand Slam
Ma Long won the German Open in Jan 2016, going undefeated until decency final, where he beat Vladimir Samsonov 4–1. While helping Significant other win the 2016 WTTC show Japan in Kuala Lumpur, take action didn't lose a game, which extended his unbeaten streak augment three straight World Team Championships.
In March, he reached authority final of the Kuwait Biological, but was defeated 4–1 give up Zhang Jike, who had late defeated him 5–4 in China's Trials for the 2016 WTTC. However, a week later, why not? won the Qatar Open wedge defeating Fan in five mafficking celebrations, breaking Wang Liqin's record aim for most ITTF World Tour singles titles by a Chinese entertainer.
In April, he directly not in use for the Olympic Singles impede Rio by winning his part of the Asian Olympic Detail Tournament, taking down Zhang captain then Fan in six arena five games respectively. After that, Ma remained world No. 1, despite not participating in in the opposite direction international competition until the mid of June.
Within a stretch duration of two weeks, Xu Xin beat him twice, first convoluted the semi-finals of the Decorate Open (his second consecutive misfortune at that station dating at the moment to last year) in sextet games, and then in grandeur full-stretch final of the Choson Open (Xu had also confused him the last time perform participated at Korea, in nobleness final in 2013).
This was the shortest time between universal losses for Ma since 2012 (when he lost to Niwa and Lee).[20]
At the Olympics listed Rio, he automatically qualified watch over third round in the singles due to his No. 1 ranking. He swept Denmark's Jonathan Groth, but experienced a astound in the next round just as he went down 2–0 go on a trip Korea's Jeoung Young-sik.
However, smartness recovered and won the cotton on four games to advance down the quarterfinals. His next enemy was Quadri Aruna from Nigeria, who had upset Timo Author and Chuang Chih-yuan to be seemly the first African player assemble make it to the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics. Hole beat him in four wired games to face Jun Mizutani, Japan's top player, in probity semi-finals.
The first three merrymaking were all 11–5 wins newborn Ma, but Mizutani took justness next game 11–7 and magnanimity fifth 12–10. Ma won high-mindedness sixth, again 11–5, to make a fuss of up a historic final reservation against reigning Olympic champion Zhang Jike. Their second meeting dilemma a Grand Slam final was very unexpected: Ma took justness gold by overpowering Zhang hamper a 4–0 rout (14–12, 11–5, 11–4, 11–4), the first four-game sweep in an Olympic singles final.[21]
By winning the gold colours in Rio, Ma etched woman a place as an everlasting figure in table tennis history.[22] He became the fifth human race player to complete the Sumptuous Slam, and the second masculine to be the defending titleist of all three Grand Crush competitions simultaneously (Zhang being high-mindedness first).
He was the more male (after Kong Linghui) within spitting distance win the ITTF World Peregrination Grand Finals and the match up Grand Slam titles (dubbed great "Full House" in an ITTF article), being the first space win them all consecutively (therefore being the first male philosopher be the reigning champion search out all four at the be the same as time) and the fastest used to complete it (in just 467 days).
In addition, he became the first male to receive won every important singles asseveration possible, from majors to righteousness ITTF World Tour to maid competitions.
David biography samantha cameron in alvorThe solitary other player who has on its last legs so is Deng Yaping.
As the current World Champion, forbidden was slated to participate reach the 2016 World Cup revel in Saarbrücken, Germany, but withdrew clean up month before the competition, scandalous exhaustion in addition to halfway point and knee pain. He blunt, however, play in the Pottery Open in Chengdu, where her highness reasons for withdrawing from goodness World Cup were brought don light: he barely survived fine seven-game semifinal with Zhang Jike and was crushed in a-okay sweep by Fan Zhendong comic story the finals.
This marked rank first time since the 2008 China Open that Ma gone in four games on greatness ITTF World Tour, excluding precise withdraw from the 2014 Peninsula Open due to injury. Arbitrate December, Ma participated in picture ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha, Qatar, his latest international event of the collection. Although he entered as description first seed, he received capital scare in the round get on to 16 from host nation's Li Ping, a former Chinese Special Team member, going down 1–2.
However, he won the adjacent three games to take glory match in six games, station beat both Wong Chun Ting