WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro 2023: Hugo Calderano loses to Cho Seungmin in opening round

Posted : 11 August 2023

The top seed in the Men's Singles at WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro 2023 has suffered an unexpected defeat. Local hero and World No.5, Hugo Calderano, stumbled in the opening round against Cho Seungmin, losing 3-1 (5-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-9).

Calderano was heavily favored going into the match. He held a more than 30-place advantage over Cho in the World Rankings and boasted a 4:1 lead in their head-to-head matchups. Moreover, this marked their third encounter this year, with Hugo having triumphed in the previous two.

With the crowd rallying behind him, Calderano charged ahead, decisively taking the opening game 11-5. However, Cho's resilient play allowed him to narrowly snatch the second game 13-11.

As the match progressed, luck seemed to favor Cho. A series of fortunate bounces off the table played into the underdog's hands. This stroke of luck was complemented by powerful shots that found their mark, propelling Cho to an insurmountable 8-0 lead in the third game. He swiftly converted this lead into a 2-1 game advantage.

With his momentum established, Cho continued to disrupt Calderano's rhythm. He skillfully alternated between deep and shallow shots, along with varying the pace. This left Calderano struggling to find a comfortable distance from the table to execute his counterattacking style. Consequently, Cho secured an 11-9 victory, sending the top seed and local favorite packing.

This defeat in Rio marks Calderano's second consecutive early exit in the WTT Series, following his round of 32 loss to Yang Wang at WTT Contender Lima just last week.

Cho will now face Simon Gauzy in the round of 16. Gauzy managed to fend off a late resurgence from Lubomir Pistej, clinching a hard-fought 3-2 victory (11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-6).

Despite Calderano's disappointment, there was reason for the Brazilian crowd to cheer in the Women's Singles. Bruna Takahashi pulled off an upset win over Elizabeta Samara, defeating the World No.26 in four games (11-13, 14-12, 11-5, 11-7).

The most dramatic moment came in the second game as Samara led 10-4 and seemed poised to secure a two-game lead. However, Takahashi staged an impressive comeback, saving eight game points and leveling the score at 1-1. Building on this momentum, she capitalized on the advantage to secure the victory.

Reflecting on her win, Takahashi shared, "The game was very tough, but I think I managed to stay focused throughout the game. In the second set, she had a good advantage, but she relaxed because of it. I believed in myself and used that for me."

Takahashi's triumph was met with jubilation from the crowd. She expressed her happiness, particularly because the win occurred in Rio with her parents and fans in attendance. Takahashi now advances to face Li Yu-Jhun in the round of 16.

WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro 2023: Hugo Calderano loses to Cho Seungmin in opening round

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