World Championship of Ping Pong - 2020
The now-expected sell-out crowd homed in on Alexandra Palace on the last weekend in January 2020 for the final rounds of the World Championship of Ping Pong. A truly international event organised by Matchroom Sport and shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.
These images were taken on the final day, January 26, starting with the Last 16 in the afternoon session, which ended the run made by new-entrant, 17-year old Ethan Walsh and 2018 Champion and 2019 Runner-up, Wang Shibo.
There was plenty of ping-pong related games to keep the spectators occupied in the interval, and a wide choice of catering outlets to keep them well fed and watered before the Quarter Finals started in the evening.
Alexander Flemming ended the hopes of three-times Champion Maxim Shmyrev, aiming for a record-breaking fourth title. Gavin Rumgay overcame his training partner Paul McCreery. Liang Xue beat Lu Shuang while Andrew Baggaley, also poised on three Championships, overcame Hu Junchao.
The Semis were both won in two ends: Flemming beating crowd-favourite Rumgay, while Baggaley won against Liang Xue.
This set up what can only be described as an epic final which literally went down to the wire: it needed five games and one ball to reach the nail-biting conclusion.
Flemming won the first game in a sudden-death 15-14, but Baggaley recovered with a 15 - 8. Flemming came back with another 15 -4 and Baggaley again repaid him 15 -8.
The final game see-sawed between them until Baggaley pulled ahead, but could not clinch the advantage, and so it was precariously poised once again on 14 - 14: sudden death! Could Flemming snatch a third win in the match? No! he could not! and so it was all over bar the thunderous and prolonged applause around the arena, cups and medals awarded all round, lucid interviews, and the roof opening to pour a blizzard of glinting sparkles around the victorious and record breaking four-times Champion, Andrew Baggaley.
An image and a titanic match that will live long in the memory! Bring on 2021!
These images were taken on the final day, January 26, starting with the Last 16 in the afternoon session, which ended the run made by new-entrant, 17-year old Ethan Walsh and 2018 Champion and 2019 Runner-up, Wang Shibo.
There was plenty of ping-pong related games to keep the spectators occupied in the interval, and a wide choice of catering outlets to keep them well fed and watered before the Quarter Finals started in the evening.
Alexander Flemming ended the hopes of three-times Champion Maxim Shmyrev, aiming for a record-breaking fourth title. Gavin Rumgay overcame his training partner Paul McCreery. Liang Xue beat Lu Shuang while Andrew Baggaley, also poised on three Championships, overcame Hu Junchao.
The Semis were both won in two ends: Flemming beating crowd-favourite Rumgay, while Baggaley won against Liang Xue.
This set up what can only be described as an epic final which literally went down to the wire: it needed five games and one ball to reach the nail-biting conclusion.
Flemming won the first game in a sudden-death 15-14, but Baggaley recovered with a 15 - 8. Flemming came back with another 15 -4 and Baggaley again repaid him 15 -8.
The final game see-sawed between them until Baggaley pulled ahead, but could not clinch the advantage, and so it was precariously poised once again on 14 - 14: sudden death! Could Flemming snatch a third win in the match? No! he could not! and so it was all over bar the thunderous and prolonged applause around the arena, cups and medals awarded all round, lucid interviews, and the roof opening to pour a blizzard of glinting sparkles around the victorious and record breaking four-times Champion, Andrew Baggaley.
An image and a titanic match that will live long in the memory! Bring on 2021!