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What's the point of wildcard rounds now ???

Postby Bourne

Fair enough 4 or 5 years ago they had their place since it was so much harder for these amateurs to make their mark but in today's era of PTCs and a much more 'professional' set-up for the amateurs, what is the point of having these dud matches like we saw today in Shanghai ? The chances of discovering another Ding like they did in China are minute, if they're good enough then they'll work their way up through the ranks.

Re: What's the point of wildcard rounds now ???

Postby Wildey

Bourne wrote:Fair enough 4 or 5 years ago they had their place since it was so much harder for these amateurs to make their mark but in today's era of PTCs and a much more 'professional' set-up for the amateurs, what is the point of having these dud matches like we saw today in Shanghai ? The chances of discovering another Ding like they did in China are minute, if they're good enough then they'll work their way up through the ranks.

they did not find a ding when he won the china open ding was already on tour but he was pulled out of the qualifying matches to be a wild card at the 2005 china open and he won it.....

he was World Ranked 76th when he won the China Open.

so he was not any old player to make up the numbers he was already chinas no 1 player.

Re: What's the point of wildcard rounds now ???

Postby Odrl

I've always liked the wildcard round, as it provides a good indication of what the standard of amateurs is like in this part of the world. We've had very strong years, with the likes of Tian Pengfei, Yu Delu and Xiao Guodong making their mark for example. And we've also had weaker years, like this one, when none of the wildcards made it through. It's not much of a sample, but at least it shows whether more doors should be opened for these players or not.

I don't think it's really meant to boost the local interest in the event. If it is, it's not very successful. I at least expected Tian's match last year to get a decent crowd, but there was virtually no one there. What it does do however, is provide some decent experience at the highest level for the local amateurs. That's really the only thing they can gain, since there is no ranking points or prize money on offer for them. It's a rare chance to play the top players, a chance that European amateurs now have, with the PTC series. The Chinese amateurs can only really compete among themselves, so I don't really begrudge them their crack at these events. And it's probably even tougher for other Asians. This one experience can make a difference in how their career develops. ;-)