Liam Pitchford and Tin-Tin Ho swept up their seventh singles titles at the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships on a dramatic Finals day in Nottingham.

Tin-Tin Ho is once again the Women’s Singles champion after staging an epic comeback in a seven-set thriller against her young opponent Tianer Yu – a record-equalling seventh title as she moves level with Jill Parker in the all-time list.

Yu came out of the blocks quickly, dictating the play in the first half of the match taking a 3-0 lead, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.

Ho looked stunned in the third as Yu clinically executed shot after shot against her experienced opponent, moving the ball quickly around the table.

But Tin-Tin drew on all her experience – and a key timeout at 7-7 in the fourth helped change the complexion of the match.

The momentum shifted from that timeout and a superbly executed change in tactics brought Tin-Tin back into the game, bringing the scoreline to 3-2.

Tianer seemed to lose confidence as Tin-Tin continued her relentless fightback, unforced errors creeping into her game in the sixth which allowed her opponent to level, taking the match into a seventh and final game – just like last year’s semi-final meeting between the two.

And what a game it was, the women going point for point with some scintillating rallies that kept the crowd at the David Ross Sports Village on the edge of their seats. But it was Tin-Tin who reigned supreme, earning her seventh title in what was surely her hardest fought final yet.

Earlier, in the semi-finals, Yu came through against Jasmin Wong in five, stepping on the gas after losing to first 19-21 to take the next four 11-2, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4.

Tin-Tin played out another classic against Sophie Earley, experience making the difference in the deciding seventh game as Ho took it 4-3 (12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 16-18, 11-5, 11-5).

Surely Yu and Earley will have their day in the next few years.

Liam Pitchford underlined his position at the apex of English table tennis as he also stormed to his seventh Men’s Singles title, delivering a commanding 4-0 victory over David McBeath in the final.

From the first point, Pitchford set the tone, racing through the opening game with an emphatic 11-1 win. His aggressive play and pinpoint accuracy left McBeath struggling to find a foothold in the match.

The second game saw McBeath fight back, determined to shift the momentum and he pushed Pitchford hard, forcing a much tighter contest, but the England No 1 held his nerve, edging it 12-10 to strengthen his grip on the Championship.

With confidence soaring, Pitchford took full control in the remaining two sets. His tactical precision and relentless attacking play proved too much for McBeath, who couldn’t break through his opponent’s dominance. Pitchford sealed the match with 11-8, 11-5 victories, securing yet another national crown in style.

This latest triumph adds to Pitchford’s already glittering career, cementing his status as one of England’s most decorated players and moving him level in second place in the all-time list, alongside Paul Drinkhall.

In the semi-finals, Pitchford overcame renaissance man Andrew Baggaley, who won the last of his three national titles in 2010 by beating Pitchford 4-3.

This time, it was 4-2 (11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 16-14) to Pitchford.

The other semi was a classic as McBeath sunk two-time winner Tom Jarvis 4-3, having seen two match points come and go in the sixth and then saved one in the seventh.

The final, epic scoreline was 4-3 (3-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-13, 12-10).

Photos by Michael Loveder, Table Tennis England’s Official Photographer.