It was a tall order, and not the type of misnomer available at a Starbucks near you. In the Olympic table tennis teams event, the US men's team faced Sweden in the opening round of 16. Not only did Sweden outrank the United States in seeding, 5th to 14th, but each member of the Swedish squad stood an imposing six feet or better. The US squad was captained by 21-year-old Kanak Jha (pictured), the four-time national champion making his second Olympic appearance. Rounding out Team USA were Olympic debutants Nikhil Kumar, 18, and Xin Zhou, 32. All three were born in the Bay Area, also home to US women's captain Lily Zhang. In the opening doubles match, Sweden fielded Kristian Karlsson and Anton Källberg against Kumar and Zhou. The well-oiled Swedish duo, veterans of innumerable European doubles events, closed each game with a dominant run for a ruthlessly efficient 3-0 victory. With the US trailing by a point, world #30 Jha faced Swedish captain Mattias Falck, world #9. Falck defies conventional thinking by playing with short pips on the forehand, sacrificing spin in order to smash away like his countryman Kjell "The Hammer" Johansson fifty years ago. For further intimidating effect, the 6'2" Falck towered over Jha, who stands 5'5". The undaunted Jha, however, played David to Falck's Goliath, upsetting the 2019 World Championship men's singles finalist with strategic spins and fearless forehand fusillades, 3-1. With the match tied at one apiece, attention turned to Xin Zhou and Anton Källberg. While the world #1,022 Zhou battled valiantly to give the US the lead, he was no match for world #50 Källberg, who won in straight sets. With Sweden on the hill, it once again fell on Kanak Jha to score the equalizer. Alas, facing world #28 Kristian Karlsson, he could not replicate his earlier magic. After a close first game, Karlsson pulled away, (12-10, 11-5, 11-6), to give Sweden the 3-1 victory. They would go on to lose to Japan in the quarterfinals by the same margin. Despite the tall order they faced, the US men's team proved themselves worthy competition for one of the best teams in the world. If they can hold their own with a perennial powerhouse such as Sweden, there is no reason the up-and-coming Team USA could not establish their place among the global superpowers. For now, however, they can grab a beverage, relax and watch the conclusion of the team events. Perhaps a tall Americano?

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