Calderano beats Chinese two-time world champion and reaches the WTT Champions final

Victory

Carioca decides title at 6am on Sunday against Jingkun, top 3 in the world

Number 8 in the world, Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano defeated Chinese Fan Zhendong, two-time world champion (2021 and 2023) and second in the ranking, and advanced to the final of the WTT Champions Incheon (South Korea). This Saturday (30), Calderano defeated Zhendong in the semi, by 4 sets to 2, with partials of 11/6, 11/8, 11/9, 6/11, 8/11 and 11/5.

The title decision is scheduled for 6am (Brasília time) this Sunday (31). Calderano will face another Chinese player, Liang Jingkun, number 3 in the world rankings. The South Korean WTT brings together the 32 best table tennis players on the planet. In the end, the champions (female and male) will add another thousand points in the Olympic ranking qualifying for the Paris Games.

HUGO CALDERANO IN THE FINAL! 🇧🇷

In yet another gala performance, the Brazilian beats 🇨🇳 Fan Zhendong, number 2 in the world rankings, and advances to the final of the WTT Champions Incheon 🇰🇷

The partials of the duel were 11/6, 11/8, 11/9, 6/11, 8/11 and 11/5 🏓 pic.twitter.com/QPY7rwp3MQ

—CBTM (@CBTM_TM) March 30, 2024

The victory over Zhendong, silver at the Tokyo Games, is the second in the career of the table tennis player from Rio.

“I remember the first time I won, right here in the Republic of Korea and by the same score [4-2]. That’s why this is a special place for me. I had just entered the top 10”, recalled the Brazilian, in a statement to the International Table Tennis Federation (WTT), shortly after the triumph over Zhendong.

To reach the semis this Saturday (30), Calderano beat Frenchman Felix Lebrun, number five in the world, in the quarterfinals, by 3 sets to 0 (11/9, 11/8 and 11/5). The Rio native’s successful campaign in Incheon began with a victory in his debut against Japanese Shunsuke Tagami, by 3 sets to 2. Then, in the round of 16, Calderano got the better of Alexis Lebrun, by 3 sets to 1.

Brazilian table tennis already has a guaranteed presence in Paris 2024 with the men’s and women’s teams, and also in the doubles, with Vitor Ishiy and Bruna Takahashi.

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