A different ball game at a different level

Spanish tennis player Roberto Bautista Agut and former table tennis world champion Wang Liqin of China competed in a friendly table tennis game held on the sidelines of the ongoing Rolex Shanghai Masters tennis tournament on Oct 7.

Hosted by the news office of the Shanghai Municipality, the event took place at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong.

Despite having a disadvantage - he was made to hold an unusually large table tennis bat – Wang won the game.

Although Wang is a Shanghai resident, he admitted that the Oriental Pearl Tower was not a destination he frequented.

"In the past, I spent most of my time training in Beijing. It was only after my retirement as a professional athlete that I returned to Shanghai and visited the tower with family and friends," he said.

Although slightly afraid of heights, Agut said that he enjoyed the friendly game of table tennis. He also called for people to catch the Shanghai Masters which is being held at Qizhong Tennis Center.

The Rolex Shanghai Masters is an ATP 1000 tournament for professional male tennis players. This year's tournament runs from Oct 6 to 13.