Everything is proceeding according to plan. There were no upsets on the opening day of the Universal 2020 ITTF Pan America Cup in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, a prestigious invite-only tournament which doubles as a World Cup qualifier. That is a great sign for the players in the top half of the draw, including USA delegates Lily Zhang, Kanak Jha and Wu Yue. The only trouble for the American contingent is that Nikhil Kumar was an underdog. Kumar, ranked 178th in the world at all of 17 years old, was looking to repeat his surprise success last year against Horacio Cifuentes of Argentina. Cifuentes, 21, was again heavily favored. Ranked 66th in the world, he is Argentina's top player. This time against Kumar, Cifuentes prepared a dish best served cold, winning handily at (11-8, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9). "Nikhil is very good in his short game," explained Cifuentes. "The first time we played he killed me, he easily beat me 3-0 but after that analyzing the matches I knew I had to play long because his short game is better than mine. I tried always to return with the banana or play long and counter attack." By making the necessary tactical adjustments, Cifuentes showed the mental toughness and maturity it takes to survive as a professional player. Kumar will no doubt learn from his disappointment and rebound stronger. While he may be the master of the short game, he too is playing the long game.

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