Wednesday, November 13, 2019: A date which will live in... well, if not full-fledged infamy, at least some pretty solid notoriety. The setting was Linz, the unsuspecting host of the ITTF World Tour Platinum Austrian Open. In the final round of the qualification stage, two of China's top players squared off for the chance to advance. In one corner stood right-handed penholder Zhao Zihao, a 22-year-old ranked 41st in the world. Across the table from Zhao stood his countryman Wang Chuqin, a left-handed shakehand player three years his junior. Wang was favored in the match, both by ranking (world #15) and in recent results. In last month's quarterfinal matchup at the Swedish Open, Wang beat Zhao 4-0 before arresting the men's singles title. Ah, but what a difference a month can make. A few minutes after 5:00 local time Wednesday, the match began, and Zhao wasted no time in building a 3-0 advantage. According to reports, it was at this juncture that Wang's frustrations got the better of him. In the official account from the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), Wang then "deliberately threw his racket at the table and almost harmed his teammate." Of course, this is bad form by any standard. Almost immediately, however, Wang began to play better, winning the next three games convincingly. Whatever magical effect the outburst provided would ultimately prove ephemeral. Zhao recreated the original winning formula to secure the game, match, and berth in the main draw. Along with his temper, Wang lost a chance to win back-to-back events on the ITTF World Tour. To make matters worse for the talented teen, the CTTA has just announced that Wang must serve a three-month suspension for his transgression, effective immediately. This is especially harsh medicine for Wang, who had already qualified for the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, the prestigious season-culminating tournament held every December. Wang's partners in the Austrian Open's men's doubles (Fan Zhendong) and mixed doubles (Liu Shiwen) are also left high and dry, forced to forfeit. It is also bad news for his coach, Liu Guozheng, who received a one-month suspension. Both player and coach were sent home to think about what they did. While the punishment may seem harsh, China has always maintained strict control over its athletes. As the CTTA explains, "Only proper management can help young athletes correct their attitudes in the growth period and become more outstanding people." One day later, the sports world would put this incident in shocking perspective. In the final seconds of a Thursday Night Football game, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns ripped off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet and bludgeoned his exposed head with it. While the NFL weighs its response, one can only imagine what the commensurate punishment for such behavior would be if the CTTA ran the NFL. Banishment? Waterboarding? Rickrolling? In the annals of sporting scandals, it appears that Wang Chuqin may only be entitled to his standard-issue 15 minutes of fame. Now Thursday, November 14, 2019 is the infamous date. Please update your records accordingly. (Pro tip: use pencil.)

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