The first ITTF World Tour event of the year did not want for star power. To the contrary, the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open saw a veritable "who's who" of table tennis converge in Magdeburg. Drawn by competitive pride, world ranking points and $270,000 in prize money, all of the world's ten highest ranked women made the trip, along with nine of the top ten men. Only Brazil's Hugo Calderano, #7, was absent. With so much firepower, a shootout was inevitable. The women's final saw world #1 Chen Meng take on three-time world champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist Ding Ning, ranked 7th. China had dominated the field, occupying seven of the final eight spots. Ding Ning then ensured an all-Chinese semifinal with a 4-1 victory over world #3 Mima Ito of Japan. She then saw off world #5 Wang Manyu in six games to reach the final. Chen Meng cruised to the final with a straight-sets victory over #6 Zhu Yuling, earning a matchup with the legendary lefty Ding Ning. On this Superbowl Sunday, Ding Ning presaged the San Francisco 49ers by taking the early lead, holding Chen Meng to a field goal in a dominant 11-3 first game. Afterward, Chen Meng set the example for the Kansas City Chiefs, mounting a furious comeback to claim the title, (3-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-3, 11-1). "I just treated this final like any other match that needs to be won," Chen matter-of-factly related afterward as she solidified her top ranking. "I did a good job and I am very happy with my performance here." Meanwhile, in the men's draw, the field was shaken up by a local favorite. Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov, world #11, upset world #1 Fan Zhendong of China in a dramatic quarterfinal comeback. He would then fall in the semis to China's Ma Long, who shares Ding Ning's distinction of three world championships and incumbent Olympic gold medalist status. Ma's fellow finalist would be teammate Xu Xin, who reached the ultimate round by virtue of a sweep of his junior compatriot (and fellow lefty) Lin Gaoyuan. With his relentless two-winged penhold topspin attack, Xu Xin has always posed problems for Ma Long's textbook shakehand offense. This Sunday was no different, as Xu grew more efficient with each game, posting a (15-13, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5) scoreline to claim the title. "Ma Long is a legend and I am very glad that I can be his opponent," stated the champion Xu. "I am pretty happy with the result. I can say with pride that I have the best win-loss record against him among all currently active players." Chen Meng and Xu Xin can enjoy a well-deserved confidence with their superlative starts to the year. Each is well aware that the only way to surpass their better-decorated teammates is to keep beating them. So far in 2020, they are doing their part.

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