What happens if a player hits the ball so that it hits the net clamp on his side of the net, then bounces over the net and touches the opponent's side of the table? Does the player lose the point, or does play continue?
According to the Laws of Table Tennis, the clamps that hold the net on the table are part of the net assembly, not the playing surface. Law 2.02.01 states:
2.02.01 The net assembly shall consist of the net, its suspension and the supporting posts, including the clamps attaching them to the table.
Since in this case the ball only hit the net clamp, this is considered the same as only touching the net, and so play will continue.
If the ball hits the net clamp and table at the same time before going over the net, the ball has touched the player's side of the table and so the player loses the point. If when serving, the ball was hit into the player's side of the table, and then hit the net clamp before going over the net and into the opponent's court, this would be a let.
One exception would be if the ball was hit straight into the net clamp when serving, and then the ball hit the opponent's side of the table. This would mean that the ball had not bounced on the server's side of the table at all, and this would make the serve a fault.
