Top Spin

The World of Competitive Ping Pong

Welcome to the hidden world of competitive table tennis. In 2009, Michael Landers became the youngest ever U.S. Men's Singles Champion at 15 years old. A year later, Ariel Hsing achieved the same feat when she was crowned Women's Singles Champion, also at 15. High school sophomore Lily Zhang holds the highest world ranking for her age group and is closing in on Ariel's title.

In a sport with no professional league and where national champions earn less than "beer pong" champions, these fiercely driven teenagers remain committed to their passion. With devoted parents by their side, they have traded in normal teenage life for a chance to represent their country on the world's biggest athletic stage: the Olympics.

Official Selection at DOC NYC.

"'Top Spin' grips, exhilarates and breaks hearts like the 1994 film 'Hoop Dreams.'" - The Los Angeles Times