England’s Andrew Baggaley is the new ping pong world champion.

The 31-year-old from Milton Keynes beat Germany’s Alexander Flemming in five spellbinding sets at Alexandra Palace tonight to lift the WCPP crown.

Baggaley opened up a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five clash, only to see his opponent fight back to level.

But in front of a vociferous crowd and the Sky Sports cameras, Baggaley dug deep to secure a 3-2 victory (15-13, 15-10, 12-15, 10-15, 15-12).

Confessing he was exhausted at the end of a two-day competition, Baggaley added: “I found something in the tank right at the end just to pull through . . . it’s an incredible moment.”

The champion also paid tribute to his brother and coach Stephen, saying: “He’s an amazing brother and an amazing coach. I’m really proud of my success but if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here today.”