The Beginning of Mima Ito.

Japanese star Mima Ito has had brilliant performances in the last 3 years of her career. In my opinion, Mima Ito truly established herself when she won this particular match. The Japanese women faced China in the 2014 and 2016 renditions of this particular event, but were always shut out 3-0 by the Chinese. Through this match with Liu Shiwen, Ito had broken this trend and has shown the world that the Chinese are in fact beatable.

The Power of Ito

The most decisive factor in this match, in my opinion, is Ito’s preference for power over spin. Liu Shiwen is of a different era, where speed is the hallmark of her game. Ito, in this regard, plays similarly. However Ito’s speed is backed by power. Ito creates her own speed while Liu Shiwen relies on redirecting the speed and spin given to her. Liu Shiwen has been so dominant because the women’s game in general allowed her style to shine. She could not be overpowered, she has unbelievable consistency against players who cannot finish the point.

Mima Ito, however, puts away balls that many feel to be impossible. Backhand punches, forehand flat hits, the preference for power over spin completely nullified Liu Shiwen’s game. Even when she was 2-1 up, Liu Shiwen simply looked uncomfortable when playing Ito.

Ito’s Perfect Serves and Receives

Despite all of the above, Liu Shiwen held a 2-1 lead in games. This was due to her exceptional spin variation. After losing the first game, Liu Shiwen slowed down the pace of her shots, tried to apply more spin, and took away Ito’s rhythm.

This is the right idea for playing Ito, as her flat hitting style often leads to errors if her rhythm is thrown off. However, Liu Shiwen could not capitalize on the weaker shots Ito provided. In games 4 and 5, Liu played very timidly. Her spin variation would force weak returns from Ito, but she could not finish the point due to her lack of power. Eventually, Ito caught onto this and began to change her play. Ito began to attack earlier in the point. Instead of relying on Liu to give the ball the power Ito needed, she began to add more power to her shots. She diversified her balance of spin, power, and placement, knowing that a minor slip up would not cost her the point.

Liu Shiwen had to take bigger risks in games 4 and 5. Liu should have tried to finish the point as early as possible, not subject herself to Ito’s overwhelming power. Alas, that is not her style, and I forsee Liu having problems against Ito for a long time to come.

The Age of Ito?

Mima Ito is my favorite player. The variation and diversity she brings to the sport is fresh and new. However, she still isn’t perfect and she has her weaknesses. Liu’s recent improvements, especially on her ferocity and ability to apply pressure, may prove to be enough for Ito. If not Liu, then the likes of Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng have proven to be Ito’s vice.

Ito has a lot of work to do before Tokyo next year, but one thing is for sure, she has the potential to reach the stars.

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