Whether or not Benedikt Duda is a Boston Red Sox fan, he just lavished them with the sincerest form of flattery. The 26-year-old German was a lad of but ten years when David Ortiz and company came back from an 0-3 deficit to beat their hated rivals, the New York Yankees, in the 2004 ALCS. It remains the only recovery from an 0-3 deficit in MLB history, a feat yet to be accomplished in the NBA. Granted, it has happened four times in the NHL, but the self-proclaimed "idiots" of the 2004 Red Sox remain the poster boys for the dramatic comeback. Why might a German table tennis player be so enamored of this one particular group of people playing this quirky American game? Well, as you might have guessed, Duda has pulled off a comeback of his own. The setting was the Düsseldorf Masters, the summer-long tournament series for German league players. Yesterday, the sixth installment reached its conclusion. A new champion was guaranteed, owing to the absence of previous champions Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Bastian Steger. The two players to reach the final were Egypt's Omar Assar, the world #38, and Benedikt Duda, one spot behind. On paper, the match looked like even money, and to the delight of the responsibly spaced crowd, it went the distance. It was Assar who came out swinging, building a 3-0 lead. "I don’t like so much to play against Omar," admitted Duda afterward. "He takes the balls very early, plays incredibly well from behind and from half distance. In the first three games he played very powerfully and I didn't really know what to do." Down but not out, Duda dug deep and summoned his fighting spirit. "After that, I just decided to take part in the rallies, play less short short and to increase the speed," he said. "In the end it worked out very well." Indeed, it worked out exceedingly well for Duda. After leveling the match at 3-all, he routed Assar in the deciding game, 11-2. While blowing a lead is the worst way to lose, the classy Assar saw the big picture. "It was a good finale," he said. "I am happy that the spectators saw a good game... Maybe it'll work out next week." Interestingly, semifinalist Qiu Dang leads all players in the points standings, despite having yet to win the event. If he keeps showing up, he will be a lock for the August playoffs. At any rate, this furious final between Duda and Assar was a boon to sports fans, not only in Germany but around the world. With international competition still suspended for the time being, the success of the Düsseldorf Masters has provided not only entertainment but a successful experiment in how to safely proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic. As for Benedikt Duda, he successfully summoned the championship spirit of the 2004 Red Sox with en epic comeback of his own. The Duda abides.

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