Look out, Hollywood. The ITTF World Tour Czech Open is fast becoming the world's leading producer of riveting dramas. It was at the 2017 edition when Tomokazu Harimoto, then a lad of only 14, became the youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour event. Despite going on to win other major titles, none bigger than the 2018 World Tour Grand Finals, Harimoto considers his breakthrough title the biggest win of his career. At the 2019 Czech Open, currently underway in the city of Olomouc, world #5 Harimoto entered as the top seed. He was riding high after winning the Bulgarian Open on Sunday. At the Czech Open, world #115 Cristian Pletea of Romania was also riding high after winning his qualifying group, highlighted by a deuce-in-the-seventh thriller over his good friend Kanak Jha of the USA. By winning his group, the 19-year-old Pletea earned a match with 16-year-old Harimoto. Harimoto got a good start out of the gate, winning the first two games en route to a 3-1 advantage, punctuating every point won with his signature bloodcurdling scream. If Pletea was rattled, he didn't show it. "I was 1-3 down but I was still fighting," he said. "I knew that it was not over." Indeed it was not. Buoyed by the supportive crowd, Pletea stayed calm and began to chip away at Harimoto's lead. Soon, both were surprised to find themselves playing a deciding game seven. "And in the seventh game, you never know what happens," said Pletea. With momentum on his side, Pletea stayed aggressive. As Harimoto's lead slipped away, he played tighter, seemingly hoping his opponent would suddenly remember that he was just a lucky qualifier and wasn't supposed to be a real challenge. In the end, Pletea secured the comeback with a dramatic (3-11, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7) scoreline. “That is for sure the biggest win of my career," said Pletea after the match. "We have been playing against each other since we were juniors, which helped me today. I know his style and I felt he was a little bit nervous today. Also, I played really well today, my tactics were perfect." For his efforts, Pletea earns earns a match with Japan's Yuki Hirano in Friday's round of 16. Hirano ranks one spot behind Pletea at world #116, with the winner of the match almost certain to be ahead in next month's world rankings. Still alive in the draw are legends such as Vladimir Samsonov, Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov, as well as fellow up-and-comers like Lin Yun-Ju and Hugo Calderano. With so many titans, clashes are inevitable. Hollywood couldn't have scripted it any better.

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