Hugo Calderano of Brazil made table tennis history on Sunday by becoming the first player from outside China or Europe to win the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup, defeating the world’s top-ranked player in a stunning final match.
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Playing in Macau, Calderano faced China’s Lin Shidong, who initially dominated the match with home crowd support, taking the first game 11-6. However, the fifth-ranked Brazilian quickly found his rhythm and staged a remarkable comeback, winning the next four games 11-7, 11-9, 11-4, and 11-5 to claim victory in just 42 minutes.
The 28-year-old’s triumph marks the first time a non-Chinese player has won the prestigious tournament since Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov captured the title in 2017. Calderano’s path to the championship was particularly impressive, as he defeated not only the world number one but also world and Olympic champion Wang Chuqin (ranked second) in the semi-finals and Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto (ranked third) in the quarter-finals.
In the women’s competition, results followed expectations as world champion and top-ranked Sun Yingsha of China defeated her compatriot Kuai Man (ranked seventh) in straight games 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6. Portugal’s Jieni Shao, ranked 52nd globally, participated but was eliminated in the group stage after recording a draw and a loss against China’s Wang Yidi (ranked third).
The tournament, held in Macau for the second consecutive year following a four-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featured a total prize pool of US$1 million. The event was organised by the Sports Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group, and World Table Tennis Management Group Limited, with co-organisation from the Macau Table Tennis General Association.
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