These are good times to be Anton Källberg . On Sunday, the Sweden's fourth-ranked male (pictured) won the seventh and final of the Düsseldorf Masters tournament series. In the semifinals, the world #53 Källberg defeated Germany's world #11 Timo Boll, 3-1. "It was a very good game on my part, but the sets were also very close," observed Källberg. "Luck was on my side, but I needed that too. I hope Timo isn't too sad now." While that may sound like trash-talk, Källberg was in all likelihood sincerely concerned for Boll's spirits. After all, the two are teammates on the Borussia Düsseldorf team, of which Boll is the captain. Furthermore, they are playing in the prestigious Bundesliga finals this Sunday. Regardless of what the future may hold, Källberg still had business to take care of. Standing in his way was his countryman, world #29 Kristian Karlsson. In the all-Swedish final, the 29-year-old left-hander Karlsson held a 10-8 lead in the first game before surrendering four straight points. In the second game, however, Karlsson redeemed the identical advantage to win, 11-8. With the match tied a one game apiece, Källberg again forged ahead with a comfortable 11-6 win. Leading 8-6 in the fourth, Källberg lunged to return a net ball from just above the floor, returning a roller just over the edge that a bemused Karlsson could only look at. At that point, they both knew it was simply Källberg's day, as he went on to claim the title, 3-1. "I am very satisfied with my three appearances today," Källberg assessed. "I played very well and won a lot of good rallies. It is nice to see that the hard training of the last few weeks is paying off." Karlsson, for his part, knew he left a few key points on the table. "It was a good game, but I didn't use my chance in the first game at 10-8," rued Karlsson. "You can't afford that against Anton, so in the end he deserved to win." With the win, Källberg claimed his second win in the seven-tournament series, the record shared with Germany's Benedikt Duda. As an added bonus, he also wins the overall 2021 Düsseldorf Masters championship based on accumulated points, FedEx Cup-style. When regular ITTF/WTT competition picks up, Källberg is unlikely to stay outside the world's top 50 for long. Leading the entire Bundesliga with a stunning 25-2 individual record, Källberg looks to score another championship this Sunday. If he continues his torrid ways, Borussia Düsseldorf has an excellent chance to hoist the league trophy. Unless, of course, Timo Boll is still sad.

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