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Qatar Tribune
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Calderano makes South-American history, three-peat for Chuqin & Yingsha at TT Worlds
Tribune News Network Doha Brazilian Hugo Calderano created history at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships - Doha 2025 yesterday as he became the first South American to reach global final. At the Lusail Sports Complex, the 28-year-old beat China's fifth seed Liang Jingkun 4-3 (15-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 3-11, 7-11, 11-9), for a shot at becoming Brazil's first-ever world champion. Calderano recently made history as his country's first paddler to win the men's singles gold at the ITTF World Cup in Macao. Calderano battled fiercely against Jingkun. He found himself on the back foot early, trailing 6-9 in the opening game but he responded with deceptive angles. The set became a tense affair, with Calderano edging ahead and Jingkun saving five game points, but Calderano finally clinched it to take a 1-0 lead.. The second game was equally intense, but Calderano remained sharp, using spin, angles, and changes in pace to overpower his opponent, sealing it 11-7. In the third, Jingkun regrouped to take the set keeping himself in the match. Calderano came out firing in the fourth, surging to a 5-1 lead with a masterful blend of slow spin and speed as Brazilian reclaimed control and push ahead 3-1 in the match. Jingkun responded emphatically in the fifth and sixth set, leveling the match at 3-3 and setting up a dramatic decider. The final game saw Calderano struggle with unforced errors early, falling behind 0-3. But he quickly recovered, winning five consecutive points to turn the tide. The change of ends favoured Calderano, as he surged to a 10-3 lead and held firm to claim victory in a marathon battle. Calderano will face another Chinese Wang Chuqin, whom he defeated in the World Cup semi-finals last month in Macau. Chuqin beat Sweden's No. 7 seed Truls Moregardh 4-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10, 12-10) in the semi-final yesterday. Wang exacted revenge on Moregard after his shock defeat to the Swede in the round of 32 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Moregard made it through to the final, where he lost to world champion Fan Zhendong. Wang will fancy his chances of finally getting his hands on the world singles title as he looks to upgrade the silver from two years ago. The two-time Olympic champion in doubles events can capture the full set of gold medals at the world championships. The 25-year-old won the men's and mixed doubles in Durban 2023. Earlier, Wang and Sun Yingsha claimed their third straight mixed doubles crown beating Japan's Maharu Yoshimura and Satsuki Odo 3-1 (7-11,8-11, 11-7, 8-11) in the final. In the women's competition, defending champion Sun made short work of Japan's Ito Mima in their semi-final. Sun defeated the eighth seed in straight sets, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4, to secure her third straight singles final at the global showpiece. In other semis, China's Wang Manyu beat Chen Xingtong to storm into the final. In the women's doubles, Wang Manyu and Kuai Man reached the final beating Japan's No. 4 seed, Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 to book their spot in the final. This marks Wang Manyu's fourth appearance in the women's doubles event at the World Championships, where she has already secured two gold medals. In the men's doubles, Kao Cheng-Jui and Lin Yun-Ju made it to the final defeating the top-ranked French duo of Felix and Alexis Lebrun. They will now face the Japanese World No. 2 pairing of Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami, who made it to the final courtesy of a walkover from the second French pairing of Florian Bourrassaud and Esteban Dorr.
South China Morning Post
26-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Departure of table tennis chief comes at a critical time
China's love of table tennis, a sport deeply embedded in the country's history and culture, cannot be overstated. The medal-winning feats of star players are a source of national pride. Advertisement The sudden resignation of the mainland's table tennis chief has, therefore, understandably prompted much reflection on the future development of the sport in China. Liu Guoliang, who stepped down as president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) on Wednesday, has been a prominent figure since emerging as a talented player in his teens. As national team coach he guided Chinese players to nine Olympic gold medals out of a possible 10. He was elected head of the CTTA in 2018 and re-elected in 2023. Liu said he had decided to step down, midterm, to ensure the new leadership has adequate time to prepare for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. The aim is to ensure a smooth transition. But his departure comes at a critical time, only three days after the nation's men failed to win the ITTF World Cup singles in Macau. Advertisement The shock defeat suffered by world number one Lin Shidong to a Brazilian rival left fans in despair and calling for change.
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Bring back Fan Zhendong, Ma Long? Chinese table tennis fans rue Lin's Macau loss
Chinese table tennis fans voiced despair about the country's men's performances on Monday after Lin Shidong's shock loss at the ITTF World Cup in Macau, with many calling for the return of Ma Long and Fan Zhendong. Advertisement World No 1 Lin's 4-1 reverse against Brazil's Hugo Calderano in Sunday's final saw the hashtag 'Chinese table tennis really needs to reflect' shoot to the top of Weibo's trending list with more than 100 million views. 'Chinese table tennis should indeed reflect on itself, or more precisely, the Chinese men's table tennis team should seriously reflect on itself,' one of the top comments read, lamenting 'legacy issues such as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong' and suggesting 'changes in the entire environment'. Ma, last year's World Cup winner, and popular Olympic singles champion Fan withdrew from the World Table Tennis rankings in December over a dispute about fines for players withdrawing from competitions, clearing the way for 19-year-old rising star Lin to claim the No 1 slot. Brazil's Hugo Calderano poses with his trophy after beating Lin Shidong in the final. Photo: Xinhua Advertisement Olympic champions – such as Fan and Ma – were permitted to enter some tournaments even if they were not ranked, and exemptions were granted to allow players to miss events without being fined. This, however, has yet to lure back the pair.
