Eugene Wang vs Kalinikos Kreanga FrenchLeague 2015

beeray1 wrote: Eugene the King- Excellent fight to save the two match points in the end! Kreanga's like "You gotta be kidding"

tiehwen wrote: E. Wang used to be 1 of the coaches of my kid & others few years ago in Bridgeport t/t club in Richmond, BC. He then played for Canada in the Olympics soon after he became a Canadian Citizen. He now plays for some club in Europe, eh? Cool. Kreanga got pissed off easily or in the crucial moment. good match.

It is so great to watch!!! kreanga's backhand is still not imitated; it is incredible the level of control one can have with a full arm bh swing; why isn't it taught more?

popperlocker wrote: Gotta be top 5 match of the year!! The ball looks kind of big? I thought the french were using the old celluoid ball? Have they moved on to 40+? Anyone know which brand?

Egghead wrote: ya, what a black eye for Canadian government ; fast tracked citizenship for him and no gain in the medal standing.

True. No experience in the BIG stage. He & Andre' Ho lost in the FIRST round to some nobody?
E. Wang is a nice guy still...

Kreanga's team use plastic balls 40+ for sure!

Great match. Thanks for sharing the video. 

fatt wrote: NextLevel wrote: fatt wrote: It is so great to watch!!! kreanga's backhand is still not imitated; it is incredible the level of control one can have with a full arm bh swing; why isn't it taught more? Because taller players can get power our of more controlled swings. That said, the elements of Kreanga's power are in most high level backhands. I get that but then those taller players would get even more power out of a full arm bh so why don't they go for it? they'd be strategically forced to move back a bit and would that demolish too many aspects of their game elsewhere?  Anyway I bet there is a huge part of talent involved and it is not given to anybody to be able to develop such a bh; sort of a gift.

Taking the backhand from the hip is standard for away from the table power. Beyond that, making the arm too straight runs the risk of mistiming the ball and getting injured. Kreanga has short arms so he can make it work in a way that a taller person doesn't need to.   There is also the recovery risk for such a stroke that is easier to manage when your arms are smaller. Samsonov's backhand will never look as explosive as Kreanga's but it is every bit as powerful.

Even though he lost this match, and his world ranking has dropped quite a bit, I am still awed by how fast Kreanga moves at 43.

two of my favorite players. I didn't want anyone to lose : (.

NextLevel wrote: sandiway wrote: Kreanga's return of serve seems too passive against Wang Zhen. He pushes way too often. Return of serve has always been a relative weakness of Kreanga. It would be interesting to see how he would have played if his game developed in the Chiquita era.

sandiway wrote: NextLevel wrote: sandiway wrote: Kreanga's return of serve seems too passive against Wang Zhen. He pushes way too often. Return of serve has always been a relative weakness of Kreanga. It would be interesting to see how he would have played if his game developed in the Chiquita era. I think he should take the time to develop the banana since he is still active. Some of his losses must greatly frustrate him... perhaps it showed even in this match. Sandiway

Good match I watched it over the weekend.

jrscatman wrote: Sounded like a pretty good crowd. How many people typically attend these matches?  Loved the match. Fifth game 9-10 point was amazing.