Semifinals

Four are left, only two matches to the Title! Richard Mercado rearranges the tables to give our champions more room, and we are set to begin. Thomas Keinath is a world traveler, ITTF ranked #82 , reached the round of 16 at this year's Slovenian Open, and is paired with the young American, Adam Hugh, playing in front of the home folks. Thomas is a pro, a lethal and business-like presence in the court. There will be no gamesmanship here. Adam fights hard, but it is obvious that every element of Keinath's game is superior. He can drop shot, he can push with more spin, he can Loop the ball you killed, he can serve the same serve twice and give you two different balls. Most of all, it's that backhand over the table that leaves players lunging and diving, for he can direct it cross-court or down the line or anywhere in between without telegraphing his intentions, and always sharply spun and lethally quick. 5,9,3,10 it's all in Keinath's favor and Adam takes the $320 check that rewards a semifinalist.

Gombos is as close to a STIGA North American Tour win as he has ever been when he stands in against David Zhuang. Like Keinath, David is a veteran of the world scene, currently #189, in fact, and the US Men's Singles Finalist in 2004, multiple-time US Champion. None of which registers on the single-minded Ludovic at all. He drops the first game 11-4, to no one's real surprise. David's penhold backhand block has been destroying loopers for decades. But Ludovic has more of what he gave to Baboor and 8,8 has a sudden 2-1 edge in games. David reasserts himself in game four to tie the match. But this match will not end at the table, it ends instead in the mind of Ludovic Gombos. David serves and Gombos lodges an immediate protest. "That's illegal!" he wails. "That's clearly behind his shoulder!" But the umpire does not see it that way, and we all know that for judgement calls, only one opinion counts. Gombos responds by serving what he later tells us he knows to be an illegal serve of his own and is immediately faulted. "That's it!" Gombos declares, and withdraws from the match, his will and concentration shattered.

What can you say? Gombos, now living in St. Louis with his airline stewardess bride, has plenty to say, but not all of it is printable. "USA is out to get me" he says. "I was paid to be a player in France. Here I cannot even get an umpire to call an illegal serve! Let me tell you what happened to me two weeks ago..." Not certain how any of this matters, it occurs to me that Ludovic has taken too much upon himself. It is enough to be the player, without trying to be the umpire, the ref and the association as well. A somewhat baffled umpire is also at a loss. "He had a chance to win that match," Pat Collins says. "No one took that opportunity away but him." Let's face it, there is a lot of pressure out there, and sometimes it can become too much to allow good decision-making.