See the situation in the player above.
Opponent Omar Assar, from Egypt, thought the ball would have hit the table if Ma Long hadn’t stopped it – but the referee had a different opinion. The point therefore went to that Chinese.
– It could have hit the table but he was in the way, Assar told the judge.
Long won the round of 16 in WTT Champions Frankfurt over three straight sets (11-6, 11-7, 12-10).
The 35-year-old is considered the world’s best table tennis player of all time. Among other things, he has won five Olympic golds and 13 World Cup golds.