Abstract / Summary
Abstract The first three strokes are critical for establishing offensive initiative in elite men's table tennis. However, how individual elite players organize these strokes and develop the first offensive shot remains unclear. This study aimed to characterize the first-three-stroke technical-tactical organization and offensive pathways of an elite left-handed male player using a typical-case design.Sixteen official matches of Wang Chuqin against Fan Zhendong and Hugo Calderano were analyzed through rally-level video coding. A total of 1,652 rallies were coded, including 715 service rallies and 699 receiving rallies with complete identifiable first-three-stroke sequences. Separate mixed-effects binary logistic regression models were constructed for service and receiving rallies, with match-by-game identifiers included as random intercepts. Descriptive pathway analysis was used to summarize sequences leading to the first offensive shot.In service rallies, no technical factor showed a significant omnibus association with point outcome. In receiving rallies, only the opponent's third-stroke technique showed a significant omnibus association (p = 0.008). Compared with short push, the pooled half-long push/defensive return category was associated with higher odds of Wang winning the point (OR = 2.858, 95% CI = 1.163–7.019, p = 0.022). Pathway analysis showed that Wang usually initiated the first offensive shot on the second stroke in receiving rallies through backhand flick, whereas in service rallies the first offensive shot mainly occurred on the third stroke after an opponent control response.This typical left-handed case showed frequent backhand involvement and context-dependent first-three-stroke organization. The findings highlight the importance of analyzing stroke sequences rather than isolated techniques when examining elite table tennis performance.