Seemiller Wins in Table Tennis : Seniors: After winning easily most of the day, he is forced to play five games in the final of the National Seniors Open.

After easily dispatching each opponent all day, Dan Seemiller was pressed to his limits in the five-game final match of the National Seniors Open table tennis tournament Sunday at Leisure World.

Seemiller, a five-time national champion from Pittsburgh playing in his first seniors event, trailed Atilla Malek, 13-10, in the final game.

“I had blown a couple of those points on little things and I thought, ‘OK, if you’re going to lose, don’t let it be like this,’ ” Seemiller said.

At that point, the top-seeded Seemiller began playing more aggressively, sending Malek back from the table with a series of overhand smashes. Malek, also a former national champion, who at 41 was playing only his second seniors tournament, remained focused but could not hold off the attack. Seemiller, 40, won the final game, 21-17, and took the match three games to two.

In his semifinal match, Malek played the second-seeded Shi Li Min to a grueling fifth game. Malek won the first game, 23-21, and lost the next two, 21-18. In the fourth game, Malek discovered Min’s weakness, and continued to exploit the ineffective forehand through the final two games, winning those, 21-19, and, 21-11.

A Costa Mesa resident, Malek earned the crowd’s support going into the final match against Seemiller. And as an admitted underdog, Malek played with surprising confidence.

“Usually I can force him into a lot of errors but today I couldn’t,” Seemiller said of Malek. “I had trouble with his serve and instantly his confidence went right up.”

Seemiller adjusted his game and won the best-of-five match and the $1,000 winner’s share of the prize money.

In the women’s over-40 singles, Bella Livshits defeated Donna Sakai, two games to one. Livshits, who emigrated to North Hollywood from the Ukraine one year ago, beat Sakai to win the 1993 women’s division of this tournament.

“It was much more difficult this year,” Livshits said. “She improved a lot since then.”

In the doubles competition, Malek and David Sakai defeated Seemiller and Rey Domingo, 21-18, 21-17. Domingo won the singles competition of this tournament in 1993, 1991 and 1990 but lost to Seemiller in the semifinals.

“We never played together before,” Malek said. “But I thought we’d do well because although Seemiller is a top seed, the other player is not so good. In doubles you need two aggressive players because you only hit the ball every other time.”

Seemiller, Malek and Domingo are planning to compete in the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships from June 30 through July 4 in Anaheim.