It all started so well. Wu Yue and Kanak Jha, the USA's highest-ranked players, were off to a great start at the 2019 ITTF World Tour German Open in Bremen. After receiving first-round byes in their respective qualification groups, both had successfully negotiated the challenges they faced. For Wu Yue, ranked 35th in the world, her first opponent was Germany's Wan Yuan, world #161. Wu Yue advanced with a 4-2 decision. This placed her in the semifinals of her qualifying group, paired with China's Qian Tianyi, listed at #156 win the world. Wu Yue, a decade the senior of the 19-year-old Qian Tianyi, never got on solid footing against the left-handed attacker. Qian posted a clinical (11-5, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5) scoreline to extinguish the last hope of the American women before going on to defeat Li Jian of the Netherlands to qualify for the main draw. That left Kanak Jha as the lone Yankee in the mix. In his group's semifinal after a 4-2 win over Uzbekistan's Zokhid Kenjaev, the world #27 Jha faced world #72 Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan. Like the 19-year-old Jha, the 22-year-old Gerassimenko is a right-handed attacker. Despite Jha's time playing in the German leagues, it was Gerassimenko who seemed more at home, winning (12-10, 11-7, 13-11, 11-7). Gerassimenko would also proceed to the main draw, with a victory over Brazil's Thiago Monteiro. While it was not to be this time for the American contingent, their experience in international competition will serve them well in the future. With the World Team Cup in Tokyo only four weeks away, every bounce counts.

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