Jaguar’s Ambition: Hugo Calderano Becomes Brazil’s First-Ever Table Tennis World Champion

He defeated the world No. 1 Chinese player, Lin Shidong in the World Cup final in Macau.

By Yan Zixuan

Source: Sportv

SUBANG JAYA - At the ITTF Men's World Cup held in Macau on April 20, 2025, Hugo Calderano advanced to the final after defeating top players including world No. 2 Wang Chuqin and world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto. Surprisingly, he beat world No. 1 Lin Shidong of China 4-1 in the final, becoming the first table tennis world champion in Brazil's history.

Final Match Recap

In the first game, Lin gained the upper hand with long serves and aggressive backhands, while Hugo struggled to respond and lost 6-11. The second game was closely contested early, but Hugo pulled ahead by capitalizing on his serve and controlling short balls. His powerful forehand attacks and fluid movement earned him an 11-7 win to level the match.

The third game remained tight, with Lin pushing through mid-to-long-range rallies. Hugo adjusted his serve and, at 7-7, seized a key moment with a sharp backhand counter to edge it 11-9. He then dominated the fourth game 11-4, taking a 3-1 lead. Despite Lin trying to regroup, he fell behind again in the final game. Hugo stayed composed after a timely timeout and sealed the match 11-5 easily.

Hugo in the competition. Image Credits: Naja.

In the final match, Hugo displayed a full arsenal: varied serves, tight control over short balls, explosive forehands, solid backhands, quick footwork, and smooth transitions—hallmarks of his 12 years of honed mastery. As he said in a post-match interview, “This gold medal is a testament to all the years of hard work I've put in. I have engraved my name in the history of table tennis.”

The Challenger Spirit Endures Amid Shifting Tides in Men’s Table Tennis

Rong Guotuan became China’s first-ever world champion in the sport after defeating Hungary’s Ferenc Sidó, a nine-time world champion, at the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships. From that moment on, China began its ascent to dominance in table tennis. The Paris Olympics mark the final act of Grand Slam champion Fan Zhendong. After his departure, China’s men’s team faces a generational transition. Players from around the world are stepping into the spotlight: Sweden has produced the assassin Truls Möregårdh, who took down Wang Chuqin; the Lebrun brothers are igniting a youth revolution in France; veteran Timo Boll captured a world title, continuing his legendary run with the German powerhouse.

And then there’s Hugo, hailing from the football-loving nation of Brazil. Despite lacking access to elite coaching and high-level training for 12 years, he has relied on competition itself to sharpen his skills, and challenge the summit of the sport over and over. At last, he has risen as a lone warrior, shouldering the hopes of the American continent.

There are no eternal champions, only eternal challengers. The sweat once shed in battles will one day crystallize into the cold gleam on the blade of the next generation of challengers.

Tears and Resolve of the Jaguar

Hugo is gifted in both sports and languages. He speaks seven languages. He chose table tennis over volleyball and athletics because he excelled more in it and found the sport's fast-paced dynamics challenging yet fascinating.

Table tennis training resources are limited in Brazil. As a result, Hugo left home alone at the age of 15, moving first to São Francisco and later to Germany for more advanced training. The unfamiliar environments were difficult for him, but his hunger for victory kept him going. His hard work paid off—after years of dominating the Pan American Games, he made a breakthrough in 2018 by finishing runner-up in the men’s singles at the ITTF Qatar Open, marking the best-ever result by a Brazilian-born player on the match.

Between 2023 and 2024, Hugo competed in five international tournaments, losing three times to top Chinese and European players. The most significant of these was the Olympic Games, where he suffered a mental breakdown after a loss to Möregårdh in the semifinals, followed by a 0–4 defeat to 11-years-younger Félix Lebrun in the bronze medal match. Years of traveling and sacrifice had not yielded a single medal, leaving him deeply upset.

“The disappointment in the bronze medal match only shows how much effort I put in. I’ve devoted myself completely to table tennis and made it the center of my life.” Source: Bilibili.

Hugo didn’t give up. He kept moving forward. Entering 2025, he revamped his training regimen and embraced innovation. Technically, he refined his serve with a greater variety and honed his control over the close-to-the-table exchanges. Mentally, he learned to stay present during matches and to stop outcome-based thinking. As he said, “Despite the failures, I still believe all the effort was worth it. Because being able to experience such battles is a beautiful thing in itself.”

Sweat and tears have forged Hugo into a fearless competitor, bursting with confidence like a jaguar. “China is the strongest country in the world when it comes to table tennis, but I don’t believe they’re unbeatable,” he once said. By defeating both Wang and Lin to claim the World Cup title, he fulfilled his ambition.

Ambitious Hugo. Source: WTT.

The Gold Is Not the Finish Line, and The Journey Has No End

At the World Championships, Hugo won five straight matches including a quarterfinal victory over a top Korean. He will face China’s Liang Jingkun in the semis.

To stay competitive, he must sharpen his backhand precision and improve his response to heavy spin and rapid attacks. We look forward to his brilliant battles and believe he can reach even greater heights.