"This girl is on fire," sang Alicia Keys in her 2012 song, titled, appropriately enough, "Girl on Fire." This torch song could easily serve as the leitmotif for the USA's Lily Zhang. It debuted the same year Zhang did the same in the Olympics, London 2012 being the first of her three consecutive qualifications (and counting). Zhang also won her first national women's singles title in 2012, her first of five (and counting). A steady rise in the world rankings has opened doors for Zhang. She is now one of the regulars at the ITTF Women's World Cup, and an established threat to boot. Her latest opportunity to showcase her world-class skill comes at the world premiere of World Table Tennis (WTT), an innovative and lucrative new showcase for our favorite sport from the mad scientists at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Years in the making, WTT is making its maiden voyage this week in Macao, China. There, Lily Zhang faced the lefty looper Petrissa Solja, the world #20 from Germany, in "Battle One." From the very first point, it was clear that Zhang was looking to attack early and often. Using her backhand flicks to set up forehand haymakers, Zhang was particularly deadly attacking down the line and inside-out to the lefty Solja's forehand. After Zhang won the first game convincingly, Solja built a 5-3 advantage in the second game. Zhang rallied to close the game on an 8-2 run, quashing Solja's comeback attempt and maintaining momentum. Keeping the pressure on from start to finish, Zhang never let Solja get a foothold in the match, upsetting the German ace (11-5, 11-7, 11-8). Upon securing match point, the loudspeakers blared a remix of—you guessed it—"Girl on Fire." The win sets up a hotly anticipated rematch in "Battle Two" with Feng Tianwei of Singapore, whom Zhang upset in the recent 2020 ITTF Women's World Cup. With world ranking points, a bloated purse and the small matter of personal pride at stake, a fiery collision is all but assured. In tomorrow's "Battle Two," we will see who is on fire, and who merely gets burned.

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