Three points. That was the difference in the final of the tenth Düsseldorf Masters. Three little points over seven long games decided not only today's winner, but also the regular season points champion. Germany's Benedikt Duda, an aggressive lefty ranked 39th in the world, was making a bid for his second title after winning the sixth of the ten-tournament series. His fellow finalist in that encounter, Egypt's world #38 Omar Assar, was hoping this third final would prove charming, having already lost title tilts to Duda and Dimitrij Ovtcharov. This matchup was a portrait of parity, as the players with nearly identical world rankings kept aping each other's scores. For six games, the score of each odd game was the mirror image of the game before, giving each player 56 points heading into the deciding seventh game. With the finish line in sight, Duda stepped on the gas, securing four match points at 10-6. Assar held his serve to pull within two, but then rather anticlimactically misread a short underspin ball to hand Duda the win, (13-11, 11-13, 4-11, 11-4, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8). "I am very satisfied with my performance," said Duda. "Against Omar it's always a difficult match for me. His timing matches my balls very well, so it was again a great final with incredible rallies. I'm very happy that I could win by a narrow margin at the end." For such equally matched players, even the slightest difference in strategy can swing the match one way or the other. In this case, the return of serve was the key factor. While Assar generally pushed Duda's serves back, Duda was much more aggressive, looking to attack with the backhand banana flick from anywhere on the table. While a technically sound and creative player, Assar realizes that his game needs to download some updates. "I need to work more on my tactics so that I can be more flexible," reflected Assar. "Seven games are very long and my problem was that I played the same in all seven games. But Benne was also very strong today, I congratulate him on his victory." If it would be any consolation, Assar should be awarded extra style points. In a play worthy of SportsCenter's Top 10, Assar iced a dominant game three by hooking a forehand around the net, going down the line to just barely catch the corner. A stunned Duda could only vainly attempt to block the sidewinder missile with his outstretched lefty forehand. While Duda lost that battle, he again won the war against the African champion Assar. By so doing, he overtakes his countryman Dang Qiu for the overall points lead, securing the top seed in the playoffs beginning this Friday. Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov has secured one of the five guaranteed playoff spots, and don't be surprised if inaugural champion Timo Boll is granted one of the three wild cards. Regardless of who shows up next weekend, Benedikt Duda has confidence and momentum as the defending champion. Given the depth of the field, however, he will need ample quantities of both qualities.

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