At the world premiere of World Table Tennis (WTT) in Macao, China, an elite field of players gathered to compete for big money in an innovative format. With everything from the scoring system to the draws to the look of the table subject to innovation, some players aimed to redesign the world rankings as well. In the women's quarterfinals, world #13 Chen Xingtong from China (pictured) had already caused quite a stir. Down 0-2 in a best-of-five contest with Ding Ning, China's reigning Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Champion, Chen Xingtong rallied to force a fifth game, which she won, 14-12. With the stunning comeback, Chen Xingtong earned a semifinal matchup with another countrywoman who just so happens to be the most dominant player in the world currently. The world #1 Chen Meng was fresh off victories at the ITTF Finals and Women's World Cup, and had gone undefeated in ITTF events in her COVID-curtailed 2020 campaign. The semifinal started as a lopsided affair in Chen Meng's favor. Looking to cap off a perfect year at the WTT world premiere, Chen Meng came out blazing, quickly building a 3-0 lead. She even held her compatriot to a single point in game two. The entire match hinged on one point. Under WTT rules, it was sudden death at 10-all in the fourth game. With three games under her belt, it was match point for Chen Meng, and few would have bet against her at this point. It was Chen Xingtong, however, who held the all-important serve. She placed it short to Chen Meng's forehand, all but eliminating the possibility of a backhand flick return. Chen Meng pushed with her forehand, and Chen Xingtong did not hesitate to fire a forehand loop kill cross court, landing squarely on the stylish new WTT orange sideline. Chen Meng could not even muster a halfhearted attempt at a desperation forehand block. From there, it was Chen Xingtong's turn to conduct a lopsided affair. She matched the lightning-quick Chen Meng in speed and raised her significantly in terms of spin. So complete was the turnaround that Chen Meng began lobbing at 6-10 in game seven, playing exhibition to entertain the already riveted viewing audience. On her second match point, Chen Xingtong smashed a lob down the line for a clean winner, completing the comeback with a (10-11, 1-11, 7-11, 11-10, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7) scoreline. After the pair of wildly improbable resurrections, social media influencers began calling Chen Xingtong the "Comeback Queen," an honorific of which she is richly deserving. Will Chen Xingtong stick to her winning strategy of falling behind until it is nearly too late in tomorrow's final against compatriot Sun Yingsha? Stay tuned!

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