Liu Guoliang (CHN) v. Adrian Crisan (ROM) at the 2001 WTTC in Osaka, Japan (8th Final)

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Adrian Crisan, multiple Romanian Champion and 5-time Olympian takes on
Liu Guoliang. Liu was the first player of note to employ the "RPG" backhand, the technique that had been developed to counter the surging pressure of the shake-hand backhand and allowed the penhold style to survive in high-level competition. At his first appearance at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a 17-year-old, even though he took an early exit against Hidefumi Masuda from Japan, it was apparent that this young man would have his say sooner or later. He fulfilled his promise by winning the "Big Three" tournaments - the Olympics and the World Cup in 1996, and the World Championships in 1999, becoming the first player to achieve the "Grand Slam".

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