1997 was a big year for Swedish table tennis. While the Swedish men's team surprised the world by dominating in the early 1990s, by 1997 China had resumed control. That May in Manchester, however, Sweden's living legend Jan-Ove Waldner won his second men's singles world championship. Waldner and compatriot Jörgen Persson would also snag silver in men's doubles. That summer in Waldner's hometown of Stockholm, a baby boy was christened Anton Källberg. While little Anton was growing up, Waldner and Persson continued to fight for Swedish relevance, summoning all their sinewy senectitude to lead their team to the 2000 World Team Championship in Kuala Lumpur. As Waldner and Persson inevitably rode off into the sunset, Källberg grew up to follow in their illustrious footsteps. Last year, Persson coached Källberg's teammate Mattias Falck to the men's singles world championship finals, where he lost to the indomitable Ma Long. Nonetheless, it was the first such finals appearance for a Swede since Waldner in 1997, signaling a Scandinavian renaissance in the sport. Now, as the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic, a new tournament series in Germany represents the first legitimate international competition since March. The Düsseldorf Masters is a weekly tournament, open to player in Germany's table tennis league. While it is not open to visitors from abroad, the league always features a deep roster replete with international talent. The first seven Düsseldorf tilts were all won by Germans, including Han Ying, who won the all-female fifth edition. Last week, in the seventh edition, Sweden's Anton Källberg was swept by Qiu Dang. This week, Källberg fought his way back to the final, only to meet Benedidkt Duda, winner of the sixth installment. Duda showed his championship form, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in games. Källberg, facing the prospect of losing a second straight final, decided to rewrite the script, rallying to break the German stranglehold with a (18-16, 7-11, 11-2, 12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 4-11) scoreline. The win puts Källberg into a four-way tie for second in the summer-long race for playoff position. The top five points-getters, currently led by Qiu Dang, will gain automatic entries into August's playoffs. Three wild card spots will also be awarded. Källberg has put himself on the inside track to make the elite eight, but he needs to keep his foot on the gas when Qiu Dang and other former champions return to the Düsseldorf Masters. No one knows when Sweden will have its next 1997, but one Swede born that year will certainly have a say in the matter.

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