Miwa Harimoto vs Kim Kum Yong ITTF World Championships Doha 2025 Review by Table Tennis Global
[Applause] [Applause] Welcome to another epic episode here at Table Tennis Global. We are going to review one of the epic matches in their career. The young star of Japan, Miwa Harimoto, now faces the North Korean weapon, Kim Kum Yong. This is just round 32 of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships. I just wish these two were in separate bracket that they may only meet at least in the quarterfinals as I want to see more of them fighting other players. I am a fan of both and it’s just sad that only one of them will advance to round 16. For your reference, Kim Kumyong and Miwa Harimoto battled in the finals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships late last year. Kim Kumyong won that match against Miwa in a hard-earned win and she deserved it. Well, months has passed and will the result be the same or has Miwa learned her lesson that she can pull this off? Let’s find out. And who are you cheering for? What a play by Miwa and great defense by Kim. Kim uses frictionless long pimples and you can see the angle and brush adjustments of Miwa in that rally a while ago. Hey, I’m going Even Miwa is having a hard time adjusting to the reversal of the spin. Take note that in frictionless long pimples, the spin you have will come back to you but in a different direction. Let’s take for example the point of Kim while back. Kim served under spin. Miwa returned it with under spin. Kim drived it using her long pimples and Miwa was a bit startled as that was a long pips. He just blocked the ball but the ball went outside. When Mi were placed under spin in the ball, the moment Kim attacked it using her long pipsit, the spin reversed, thus becoming a light top spin. Chop motion on that shovel served, but Mi were contacted that ball when his bat is going up. She slashed it quickly to have that under spin motion like but the spin placed is a top spin. Kim had a good reading and attacked it. Notice the reversal from drive to a top spin loop vice versa. It’s because of the long pips effect. Under spin becoming light top spin and top spin becoming an under spin. Help. [Applause] [Applause] Kim is just too good in using her weapon. She has good control in it. Her ball placements are also exquisite, beating the quickness of Miwa. Kim Kumyong seems composed and she is relaxed using her pips in defending. When a pips player is in control, the attacker will easily get tired. In this case, Miwa is like fighting two people. She is fighting Kim and herself as her spins are reversed when the pips is used. [Applause] Fire. Come on. [Music] Miwa got her feel and rhythm. She’s now wellversed with the situation. Miwa used top spin and Kim defended using her pips. The ball was too high, so Miwa easily smashed that one despite the ball having a light top spin. Kim is just being Kim, a silent, deadly opponent. I can feel that she might be a little pressured right now, especially that Miwa is getting her rhythm. And that’s how to play against Pips. Notice the way Miwa returned the ball. She drives, then later she chopped, after which she drives again. It’s the ball being reversed by the long pips that is why is adjusting her return. Yeah. Yeah. One Miwa took her right timing in there serving a no spin ball then goes for the quick attack. On her second serve she had an under spin. Kim thinking it was the same serve she attack it and went straight to the net. When serving one must take time and deceive your opponent. Make your serve looks the same but put different spin. Adjust the speed of the ball. Make it fast, slow, and adjust also the ball placement. A short right, short middle, a short left, or a middle right. Middle, middle, middle left, long right, and vice versa. Test where your opponent is having a hard time. Later on, abuse that sight. Step [Applause] What was [Applause] it? Those ending points were a masterpiece. Miwa now takes the lead at 3 to one. You can see her adjust her serves. Also, when facing long pips opponents, one thing I learned from a trainer is to always serve a solid under spin, a top spin, or a no spin ball at all, but never a sid spin. When you serve a sid spin, the ball that will return to you is like a crazy unknown sid spin. Simply serve an under spin and you will get a top spin in return. Serve a top spin and you will receive an under spin, serve a no spin ball and the ball will come back with a no spin at all. [Applause] Hey, what? [Applause] [Applause] Go. [Applause] Kim defended that well. Miwa attacked and it was returned. She misjudged the amount of reversal that the ball sinks outside the table. As mentioned earlier, when facing Pips’s player, you are both battling your own spin and your enemy. Kim Kumyong is a master of this. Good rally, but in the end, Miwa had hard time estimating the ball’s spin. [Applause] Hey. Help. [Applause] That’s a masterclass right there. Kim Kum Yong showed how it is to defend the fierce attack of Miwa Harimoto. She was able to adjust and she was playing angles. She is placing the ball on both sides of Miwa. Miwa’s quickness won that point. But these two showed how defense and offense are both beautiful in table [Applause] tennis. Help. [Applause] Even Miwa Harimoto acknowledges the North Korean wall. Miwa felt the pressure in the late round. She wanted to end it, but Kim is just so tough. She is a wall that is hard to break. And we are now in the decider. This will now tell who will advance next round. For sure, these two deserve to win. Whoever wins this match has shown her prowess. A true masterclass display of table tennis. Now that we are in the decider, who are you rooting for? Can you feel the pressure and the thrill? [Applause] I can already feel that Miwa wanted this win. She is putting her full strength and power into this last decider. This is the last game and I need to go into my full potential. She might have said to herself, “The defense of Kim is just too good. But the conviction of Mi wanting this win is high. She lost on their first face off and she wanted to even the score. [Applause] went for three. This could have gone either way. What an entertaining display of skill. I just wish Kim was really in another bracket so that they will not face this early. for sure she would have eliminated many. Miwa is just so good breaking the wall of North Korea. Congratulations to both and they are both winners in my opinion. What do you think of this matchup?
Miwa Harimoto vs Kim Kum Yong
ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Doha 2025
May 17-25, 2025
Review by Table Tennis Global
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