Belgium has seen its share of battles over the years. Largely owing to its awkward positioning between bickering superpowers like England, France and Germany, Belgium has earned the unenviable nickname, the "Battlefield of Europe." Heck, even Napoleon met his Waterloo in Belgium. Not to play lundi matin quarterback, but don't you think he should have seen that coming? The town was clearly labeled "Waterloo," after all. Now, not only Europe but the entire world is at war, not with a foreign military but a shared viral rival. As we approach ten million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, there is no end in sight to the pandemic. As we fight to protect our lives, most people have adjusted their way of life. For many, the first major shock of the shutdown was the loss of pro sports. ESPN has been reduced to airing an endless parade of drawn-out interviews and "classic" games to fill the sports-sized hole in our hearts. Thus, the return of any legitimate sporting action must be seen as a harbinger of hope. Like the dove returning to Noah's Ark with an olive branch, we are starting to see some foliage in the table tennis halls of Western Europe. Germany has engineered a summer-long tournament series called the Düsseldorf Masters, featuring many of the world's top players competing under strict pandemic protocols in empty halls. Now, Belgium has followed suit with its first table tennis tournament since March. Gathering for the Table Tennis Masters were 12 of Belgium's top players. Absent Belgium's top-ranked player, world #71 Cedric Nuytinck, the #1 seeding went to world #105 Florent Lambiet. As in Düsseldorf, the Belgians maintained social distance, did not change ends or shake hands, used a new ball for every point, and observed every other tenet of the "new normal." Divided into four qualifying groups, the top two finishers in each group advanced to the quarterfinals. Everything was proceeding according to plan until the semifinals, when world #202 Florian Cnudde upended Lambiet's apple cart, 4-1. For his efforts, Cnudde earned a spot in the finals with world #122 Martin Allegro (pictured). Allegro, an aggressive lefty, did not cater to Cnudde's appetite for further upsets, winning the final and the official title of Table Tennis Master with a masterful 4-0 performance. Belgium once again has been the site of a key battle in a long-standing war. While it offers a measure of diversion and hope for the future to once again see current competition, we must not mistake it for a return to normalcy. Rather, the precautionary measures taken to allow such events to occur only serve to underscore the undiminished necessity to remain cautious and vigilant in the face of our new and deadly foe. Someday, COVID-19 too will meet its Waterloo.

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