When friends are competitive with each other, a complex dynamic emerges. While a true friend will always wish for the other to do well in life, this ambient altruism is suspended when they engage in any sort of zero-sum contest. Such is the case for two of America's finest players, pitted against each other in the table tennis version of Thunderdome. Queens, New York native Tahl Leibovitz is a decorated Paralympian, 1996 gold medalist in men's class 7. The 45-year-old is afflicted with benign bone tumors throughout his body, severely restricting his movements. Leibovitz has already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will be his sixth when they are held next year. Yue "Jennifer" Wu was born in Beijing 30 years ago. A member of the 2016 US Olympic table tennis team, Wu is ranked a close second behind US champion Lily Zhang in the ITTF world rankings. Unfortunately for Wu, however, she failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics at this year's trials. While they both will not be competing in Tokyo next summer, the two know each other well from playing in the New York area. In lieu of contempt, however, this familiarity breeds a strong mutual respect. Last night, the two friends and colleagues met under the bright competitive lights of the "Thursday Night Live: T2 Challenge," a weekly tournament fusing novel rules and a virtual team format. The "T2" format keeps the weekly matches moving at a brisk clip. Matches are sudden death to 11 points, no deuce required. Further accelerating proceedings is the 24-minute game clock. If no player has won four games when time expires, the match shifts into "Fast5," wherein each subsequent game is a sudden-death race to five points. The virtual tournament kicked off in Pleasantville, New York, where the first four matches were held at the newly expanded Westchester Table Tennis Center. Table tennis equipment giants Butterfly and Nittaku each sponsored a team. The loser of each weekly individual matchup has the dubious honor of selecting her or his teammate from the following week's tilt. To date, Team Butterfly had won all three matches in the best-of-eleven series. Wu represented Team Nittaku, and Leibovitz Team Butterfly. While both righties employ the shakehand qrip, the match contrasted Wu's textbook fundamentals with Leibovitz's unorthodox all-around approach. Wu, trained in China, is a portrait of economy of motion, her off-the-bounce topspin attacks creating unrelenting pressure on her opponents. Leibovitz, who learned to play in the South Queens Boys and Girls Club as a homeless teenager, constantly surprises opponents with a wide array of homespun shots, even switching hands at will. At the outset of the match, Wu made a strong case for the value of fundamentals, winning the first two games 11-5 and 11-9 with strong serves setting up deadly attacks from both wings. More than once, Leibovitz was forced to lob, whereas Wu never had to stray far from the ready position. In game three, however, Leibovitz started to coordinate his offense, firing a barrage of mid-distance sidespin loops to set up flat-hit winners. Serving at 9-all, a fifth-ball forehand smash gave Leibovitz his first game point, which he then secured via a well-disguised side-topspin backhand serve which Wu pushed long. Just like that, it was a match, but the clock was still ticking. Game four commenced with the sword of Damocles that is "Fast5" dangling overhead. Trailing 5-7, Leibovitz put on a looping clinic to get within one. Wu responded by winning four points in a row to claim a 3-1 lead. When Leibovitz' forehand flick sailed long, sealing game 4 for Wu, there was 1:11 on the game clock. Players are officially allotted 45 seconds between games, meaning that game 5 should have started with 26 seconds to spare, and thus be played to 11 points pursuant to T2 regulations. The clock expired, however, before the first ball was served, and "Fast5" was invoked. Neither player objected, and play shifted into warp drive. At 3-all, Wu served to Leibovitz's backhand. Perhaps humming the Hole song, "Jennifer's Body," Leibovitz stepped around and fired a bullet forehand loop into Wu's center. Serving with game point at 4-3, however, Leibovitz was quickly on the defensive, and his attempted chop-block hit the net. At 4-all, Wu had raised Leibovitz's game point to give herself match point. Wu's backhand serve set up a forehand winner, expertly placed at Leibovitz's elbow. With the win, Yue "Jennifer" Wu put Team Nittaku on the board, preventing a runaway by Team Butterfly. For Tahl Leibovitz, the chance to spar with a highly skilled opponent such as Wu provides invaluable practice as he fine-tunes his practice regimen for next year's Paralympics. While she will not be representing the Stars and Stripes this time in Tokyo, her very presence in American table tennis has already elevated Team USA's level of play. Plus, as both players are keenly aware, Paris is only four short years away.

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