"I love it when a plan comes together," said John "Hannibal" Smith of "The A-Team" whenever, you know, a plan came together. Last night, a plan worthy of even the Carthaginian general Hannibal came together. The result was a novel tournament format presented in a novel way, all due in part to the novel coronavirus. With no official table tennis competition allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USA Table Tennis (USATT) looked for a way to keep its top players sharp for the World Championships, Olympics and other major international tournaments set to resume next year. Toward this end, USATT partnered with the T2 Table Tennis League, a Singapore-based enterprise offering an even more entertaining, fast-paced version of table tennis. The result was the "Thursday Night Live: T2 Challenge," which debuted last night at Pleasantville, New York's Westchester Table Tennis Club. In the first of 11 matches between members of the US table tennis team, Yijun "Tom" Feng (pictured, left) took on Kai Zhang (right) for a $1,000 prize. The loser would be consoled with $500, plus the choice of one player in the following week's pre-determined matchup as his virtual teammate. This process will continue, jumping to matches in other clubs around the country, until one virtual team wins six matches. Each week's marquee matchup will be livestreamed on usatt.org at 9:00 EST Thursday. "This is really our first effort to get our Olympic and National team members ready for Tokyo and international competitions," sait USATT CEO Virginia Sung. "We believe utilizing the T2 scoring system will provide our fans with a higher level of excitement to enjoy." While the two 23-year-olds Feng and Zhang are teammates and friends, there was some recent history between the two competitors. Feng defeated Zhang 4-1 in February's Olympic trials, providing some extra confidence for Feng and motivation for Zhang. Feng is the master of the penhold grip, favoring a reverse pendulum serve and making liberal use of the modern reverse backhand. Zhang, on the other hand (actually, they are both right-handed), uses the shakehand grip to fire loop kills from both wings. Commentary for the match was provided by USATT High Performance Director Sean O'Neill and COO Mark Thompson. Midway through game 6, Thompson remarked, "I'm waiting for 4-4, 3-3, Sean," meaning double sudden-death match point in the seventh game. "That," replied O'Neill, "would be the ultimate in intensity." At the outset, it appeared that any such high drama was not in the cards. After a close first game, in which Feng overcame two game points to win 11-10, he built a commanding 3-1 game lead. Near the end of the fourth game, the 24 minute match clock expired. Like a game show going into the "Lightning Round," the match then shifted to "Fast5" where each game was a sudden-death affair to five points. Feng, therefore, would have three chances to beat Zhang in a race to five for the match. In game 5, Zhang's backhand set the pace. Receiving at 1-1, he took the lead by leaping to his forehand court for a banana flick winner. Receiving at game point, he repeated the trick to win, 5-2. Zhang was emboldened by the win, not to mention the highly partisan support of his home club faithful. Needing only five points to tie the match, he came out swinging in game 6. Feng, so close to victory, was disinclined to acquiesce. Zhang earned a game point at 4-2 with a bullet forehand, only to have Feng tie it up and earn match point. With Zhang serving, Feng attempted a backhand flick but underestimated the underspin, burying it in the net. The excited fans could hardly believe their good fortune: the match was going the distance! In the winner-take-all game 7, both players were keenly aware of the magnified value of each point. Feng served first, eliciting a pop-up return but missing the smash. Next came the point of the match, as a tentative exchange of pushes exploded into a furious counter-looping rally, won by Zhang for a 2-0 lead. Feng again fought back, earning his second match point after the better end of a backhand-to-backhand rally gave him a 4-3 lead. Zhang served to stay alive, winning another counter-looping rally with a hooking sidespin forehand which Feng could not quite get a bead on. So there it was, 4-4 in the seventh game, "the ultimate in intensity," as Sean O'Neill described it. With a difference of $500 in prize money at stake, Feng served for the match. His serve, aimed down the center, drifted long, inviting Zhang to unleash his mighty forehand loop kill. Feng didn't even get a paddle on it. Kai Zhang reflected on his slow start and furious finish. "I think at the beginning I was too tight and for many balls, I couldn’t really move," said Zhang. "Because I was down 1-3, I said, 'Okay, it’s time to try my best.' I’m very happy that I won." Will Shortz, owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Center (WTTC), reflected on the greater import of the tournament. "It's nice to have live sports back in the New York Metro region and, with our new 50% expansion of the WTTC, we look forward to much more," he said. With dynamic young stars like Tom Feng and Kai Zhang on America's "A-Team," we can all look forward to much more.

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