11-9: This score is familiar to all table tennis players, as we have all won and lost nail-biters along these lines. This particular pair of consecutive odd integers is surely dear to Kanak Jha's heart. The reigning four-time US men's singles national champion claimed his first such title by such a score against incumbent Yijun Feng. The inherent, Rocky-esque drama of going the distance with the champ was amplified by the fact that the then-16-year-old Jha trailed three games to one, and 4-9 in the deciding seventh game. Over the years, Jha's flair for the dramatic has served him well. He spends much of the year playing in German leagues, honing his steely edge against some of the best players in the world. Thanks in large part to such Teutonic training, Jha has steadily risen in the world rankings and secured his second consecutive Olympic appearance. Preparations for Tokyo, however, have been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, after months of uncharacteristic inactivity, Jha joins fellow German league players in the 2020 Düsseldorf Masters, a weekly tournament series culminating in August playoffs. Respecting the current reality, the tournament observes strict hygienic protocols among players and officials, and proceeds as planned with fans banned from the stands. The lone American in the contest, the soon-to-be 20-year-old Jha is seeded second behind Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov. Yesterday, Jha shook off the rust with a first-round win over up-and-coming 14-year-old Tayler Fox of Germany. "I’m happy to have won my first match," said Jha. "It’s been a long time since I played a match, so it was important to be in good mental shape. I won and I hope I can do that again tomorrow." Spoiler alert: He did. In today's quarterfinals, Kanak Jha overcame fifth seed Steffen Mengel of Germany (pictured) by a (11-3, 7-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-9) scoreline. While Jha's devotion to drama proved durable, it remained to be seen whether he would ride the razor all the way to the finals. Spoiler alert: He didn't. In a semifinal matchup, Germany's third-seeded Qiu Dang squeaked by Kanak Jha, (7-11, 11-3, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9). Qiu proceeded to the finals, where he proceeded to get swept by top seed Ovtcharov. There it is again: 11-9. The sweetness of claiming a close contest quickly turns bitter when the decision is not in your favor. As Jesus said in Matthew 26, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword." For Kanak Jha, living on the proverbial sword's razor-sharp edge seems to cut both ways.

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