"Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows," wrote the Roman poet Sextus Propertius over two thousand years ago. These words, or rather their rough equivalents in Latin, survive in simplified sentiments such as, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." For those of us in the table tennis world, and especially for the professional players we watch in awe, the absence of competition is heart-wrenching. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITTF has suspended all international competition since the Oman Open, completed March 15. Thus, with great fondness do we greet the return of any competition, even in modified form. While international travel is still obviously off the table, the Austrian national television station ORF has concocted an event in compliance with "the new normal." The result is the Top of Austria Challenge, a made-for-TV special with some special specs. Staged May 2nd in Vienna, the tournament reflected the realities of current times with strict COVID-19 protocols. Most eerily, there were no fans in the stands. A masked umpire oversaw a litany of adjustments including social distancing, the abolishment of end changes and handshakes, and a thorough table cleaning between matches. In another twist, the round robin tournament combined two of Austria's top women players with two of the country's top gentlemen. In the coed matches, the ladies were spotted a six-point advantage in games to 11. In the best-of-five format, the fifth game would be only to five points, the women starting with three. Unlike the similar T2 Diamond format, each game would still require a two-point margin of victory. The player who made the most of the opportunity was Liu Jia. Born in Beijing 38 years ago, she has represented Austria since 1997. The lethal lefty has twice ascended to a #9 world ranking, in 2005 and again in 2014. Yesterday in Vienna, Liu showed her world-class experience with victories over her compatriots Karoline Mischek, Daniel Habesohn and Stefan Fegerl (pictured). "The system was not fair, with a 6-0 lead for us it is already difficult for the men," said the victorious Liu afterward. "In any case, the competition was fun. We don’t have the opportunity to play the men. "I think we showed some really good matches and also promoted our sport," she continued. "We have seen that after the long break we are all still away from our normal form. Today’s tournament was a in good location!" Her vanquished countryman Stefan Fegerl was quick to give due credit. "She played very smart," he gracefully reflected. "It has been seen that she has a lot of experience. Also, she has a good, very flat service; it is very difficult to actively return. If you start with 0-6, it doesn’t make it any easier!" Even homegrown hero and 2003 men's singles world champion Werner Schlager was on hand to provide TV commentary, just another Austrian heart beating fondly to witness the resumption of play.

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