"Nobody's invincible, no plan is foolproof," rapped the late, great MC Guru of Gang Starr. "We all must face our moment of truth." The USA's Kanak Jha is making a career out of facing such moments of truth. At only 19 years of age, the California native is already a veteran of such high-pressure international tournaments as the Olympics, World Championships, Pan Am Games and the World Cup. It is in this last crucible where our hero is lately tested. The 2019 edition of the ITTF Men's World Cup is underway in Chengdu, China, where already favored players like Fan Zhendong and Ma Long also enjoy home court advantage. Into this Thunderdome steps Kanak Jha, ranked 26th in the world. Jha qualified for the World Cup by finishing second at the Pan Am Cup to Brazil's Hugo Calderano. Unseeded, he must finish second or better in his qualifying group to have a chance to advance. Completing Jha's round robin are Lee Sangsu, the Republic of Korea's world #18, and world #34 Omar Assar of Egypt. Lee made things easy on himself by quickly securing the top finish in the group, defeating Assar 4-1 and Jha 4-2. “It was a long day with two tough matches," said Jha afterward. "I started in the morning with Lee Sangsu. I think I played well in the match but my focus was not so good… After this match, I tried to calm down and got some rest." Thus, the last match would determine who would also graduate to the round of 16: Omar Assar or Kanak Jha. Assar immediately showed the top form he used to upset Nigeria's Quadri Aruna to win the African Cup. After edging Jha 17-15 in a tense first game, he won the second more comfortably at 11-8. It was at this moment when Jha faced his latest test of will. He had traveled halfway around the world to compete in one of the most prestigious events in table tennis, only to face the very realistic prospect of going home after the first day. Digging deep, Jha took his destiny into his own hands, winning the third game, 11-9. With renewed confidence, he notched the equalizer with an 11-7 score. With the match all tied up at two games apiece, both warriors prepared to battle for the pivotal fifth game. Jha held his nerve and his serve, winning by the minimum margin at 11-9. He then replicated the feat in the sixth game to secure the comeback. "Going into the second match, it was a bit tough for me," reflected Jha. "Omar is a totally different player from Lee Sangsu. He is very safe. In the first two games, I could not find the right tactics against him. From the third game, I changed my rhythm and then I played better and better." Facing his latest moment of truth, Jha once again proved to be the real deal.

More at ITTF