Kanak Jha is the last American standing. This admittedly dramatic description is all too often apropos for the 19-year-old American champion when playing in international tournaments, however. The latest in a long line of examples for the world's 26th-ranked player comes at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open. There in Linz, Jha was joined in the men's singles draw by his compatriots Kai Zhang and Nicholas Tio. Two American women also made the trip, in the form of Lily Zhang and Wu Yue. Yesterday, Jha's countrymen met their untimely Waterloos. Today, his countrywomen faced the same fate, both at the hands of Chinese opponents, leaving Jha in the aforementioned predicament. With the pressure on to keep Old Glory aloft on the battlefield, Jha's first challenge today was veteran Tiago Apolonia, listed second in Portugal and 65th on earth. Despite the 33-year-old Iberian's experiential advantage, Jha prevailed 4-1. This placed Jha in the finals of his preliminary bracket, with zero margin for error. In his way stood Kirill Skachkov, ranked second in his native Russia and 74th in his home planet. The 32-year-old veteran Skachkov got off to an ideal start, winning the first game at deuce. After that, Jha found another gear, advancing to the main draw with a (10-12, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8) scoreline. Now firmly ensconced in the round of 32, Jha is paired with a familiar rival. Standing between him and the sweet sixteen is his frequent Pan Am Games nemesis, Hugo Calderano of Brazil. Calderano, 23, is ranked sixth in the world, making him the leading player in the Western Hemisphere. Jha's steady ascent in the world rankings makes him a strong contender for that claim, and a strong result tomorrow would do a great deal to hasten the regime change. Whoever prevails will indeed be the last American standing; it just remains to be seen if North or South America will deserve the distinction.

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