Among competitions to feature one, a "grand slam" is the apotheosis of achievement. Originating in the card game of bridge, the term refers to winning all thirteen tricks on offer. Baseball borrowed the term to describe a home run with the bases loaded. Other sports such as tennis and golf use it to denote winning every major championship. Of course, Denny's would claim to offer the champion of breakfasts. In table tennis, a "grand slam" winner has claimed a gold medal in singles at the Olympics, World Championships and the World Cup. In Olympic years such as this one, excited players struggle to sleep as visions of grand slams dance in their heads. While we are still six months from the Olympics and eight from the World Cup, players worldwide are in full-on preparation mode for both. Current World Cup holders need not worry about qualifying for the 2020 World Cup, as they won automatic invites along with their titles in 2019. This means that China's Liu Shiwen has already punched her ticket to the ITTF Women’s World Cup, to be held this October 23-25 in Bangkok, Thailand. Fan Zhendong, also of China, is likewise assured a spot in Dusseldorf, Germany for the ITTF Men’s World Cup this October 16-18. There are other routes to the Cups, such as through top-eight world rankings or World Champion status. For everyone else, the best chance to play in a World Cup comes through winning a continental cup. This month, three such continental competitions will see players go all out for a shot at the World Cup: the Pan American Cup, the Europe Top 16 Cup and the Africa Top 16 Cup. At the Universal 2020 ITTF Pan American Cup, top paddlers from the western hemisphere will converge in Guaynabo City, Puerto Rico this February 7-9. In last year's women's final, Puerto Rico's own Adriana Diaz (pictured) bested Canada's Zhang Mo to punch her ticket to the 2019 World Cup. Each finalist had narrowly beaten a top American along the way, Diaz escaping Wu Yue in the semis and Zhang Mo sidling by Lily Zhang in the quarters, both matches going the maximum seven games. While Diaz will enjoy raucous support from the home crowd, her opponents will all be motivated by a sense of unfinished business. In the men's draw, reigning champion Hugo Calderano of Brazil will also face a motivated field of challengers. Not least among them will be Kanak Jha of the United States, who will be eager to avenge the 4-1 defeat he suffered at Calderano's hands in last year's final. The beauty of such qualifying tournaments is that anyone can come out of nowhere and author a Cinderella story with the deft motions of a racket. We saw such magic in Lily Zhang's historic run to the semifinals of the 2019 Women's World Cup, losing only to the aforementioned champion-elect Liu Shiwen. Of course, to have a shot at the World Cup or any leg of the fabled grand slam, one needs decades of rigorous training, good sleep and a hearty breakfast on game day. Perhaps Denny's?

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