Could lightning possibly stroke twice on the one day, court one Olympic stadium Moscow?

The match started with Timo Boll the hero from yesterday playing Ma Long. Boll must win for Germany to have a chance you would think.

The first two games are a battle but Ma Long is too good. The serves that yesterday looked like bombs, today are being bombed by the forehand over the table of Ma Long.

However, in the third game Boll start to find his form again. Settling into the rhythm of being able to spin the ball to difficult places that even the World number one struggles with. Incredibly he takes the third after a time out. Then the 4th. So it goes down to the wire. Boll jumps to an early lead and maintains the advantage. Game and first match to Boll and Germany. That crowd that earlier in the day was stunned to see Singapore beat the seemingly unbeatable Chines Womens team are now thinking, what is happening here?

The next match is Ma Lin against Ovtcharov.

Ma Lin who played just a few weeks ago for his place in the team, beating Wang Liqin in a head to head battle. Now he has another head to head battle, this time notwith a countryman but a young player full of confidence and gunning for the second match.

This time though China has some joy here with Ma Lin winning comfortably. The incredible forehand topspin of Ma Lin proving too strong for his younger opponent.

So Christian Suss will now try to arrest the Chinese wave. He plays Zhang Jike. It is Suss who takes the running early. In fact he leads 1 game to nil and by 4 points late in the second game only to go down 11 – 9. That seems to be enough for Zhang to take over and steamroll Suss.

So for the first time tonight, China take the lead. This brings to the table the match up of Boll and Ma Lin. The two winners from their first matches. Playing as their number one players tonight. For Boll there is to be no tomorrow. For Ma Lin a chance to now arrest the challenge of the Germans. Could he go from contender for the team to the player that places the trophy in the cabinet all within the space of a couple of weeks?

The crowd really fires up for this match cheering as the combatants come to the court.

Ina game that lasted forever, the first game went to Boll. Ma Lin had 10 – 6 and played 2 soft points. You could feel the tension in Ma Lin building. Boll now winning the topspin to topspin rallies, cramping Ma Lin deep on his backhand corner. Then at 13 all a fault from Boll. This was the last point he would lose for the game. Ma Lin missed some relatively easy balls to give him the game 16 – 14.

Ma Lin then comes out swinging in the next game, a completely different feeling than the end of the previous game. Takes the game 11 – 4. Then continues early in the next to 5 – 0. A little tension creeps back in. He gets the soft blocks happening again and the score goes to 5 – 3.

Then he seems to revive and take the game. Just one game form victory.

In the fourth Ma Lin is strong and takes the game 11 – 7. A big reception greets him as he turns to the crowd who have had a torrid day and gives them their reward. A victory a salute a kiss of the flag on his shirt and the Mens World Teams Championship trophy.