I think it was thematic of the match: The whole time, Ding had failed to seize advantages and been low on time — something criticized by GM Hikaru Nakamura. In

I think it was thematic of the match: The whole time, Ding had failed to seize advantages and been low on time — something criticized by GM Hikaru Nakamura. In this final game, those two things caused him to blunder in a complex endgame seeking a tie against Gukesh who had nearly an hour of advantage on the clock and been relentlessly pressing the whole match (and continued that pressure, into the endgame). That’s a strategy, not mere misfortune. And personally, I’m glad it was decided in the match rather than tie-breaks.