MUSCAT: World No 5 Brazilian paddler Hugo Calderano registered a perfect comeback as he defeated Liam Pitchford from England 4-3 (6-11, 1-11, 11-8, 11-0, 11-4, 10-12, 11-7) in the final clash of men’s singles event to clinch the title of WTT Contender Muscat 2023 and his third WTT Series title of the year on Saturday.
At the indoor hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, it was not the first match for the Brazilian to be trailing by 2-0 as it happened couple of times this week in Muscat against Jules Rolland in the round of 16 and Simon Gauzy in the semifinal, and was ready to mastermind another escape act in the final. Calderano managed to bounce back strongly in the third and fourth sets before he captured a thrilling triumph that confirmed the trophy for him.
Commenting post the triumph, the Brazilian champion said that he is very happy to take part in WTT Contender Muscat 2023 and end the tournament on a winning note with a new title. “It was a very tough final game and there were many variations during the match. I was able to disturb him after two sets despite his leading and could manage to find proper solutions to overcome Pitchford and register a crucial victory that confirmed the title for me,” Calderano said.
“The tournament was well organised and the playing conditions were very good. All the facilities provided in the venue were great. I enjoyed playing in Muscat. All the WTT contender events are tough as many strong players take part in it and the same happened in Muscat,” he added.
HAYATA SIZZLES
Japan’s Hina Hayata eased past Adriana Diaz from Puerto Rico 4-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6) in the final to earn the women’s singles title.
The silver medallist at the Hang Zhou Asian Games in China managed to dominate the game and showed an excellent performance. The Puerto Rican player could not get a single set due to the full focus of the Japanese star.
Meanwhile, German pair comprising World No 9 Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska stole the limelight in the men’s doubles final after they presented an outstanding show against Swedish duo of Kristian Karlsson and Anton Kallberg winning it 3-0 (13-11, 11-4, 11-9).
Ng Wing Lam and Zhu Chengzhu from Hong Kong prevailed over Andrea Todorovic (Serbia) and Sibel Altinkaya (Turkey) 3-0 (5-11, 6-11, 4-11) to win the women’s doubles title. It happened for the first time in WTT series as champions were crowned in the women’s and men’s doubles events with both finals being decided by emphatic 3-0 scorelines.
Earlier on Friday, Chen Szu-Yu and Lin Yun-Ju from Chinese Taipei upset Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Sora Matsushima by 3-1 (7-11, 18-16, 8-11, 4-11) to clinch the mixed double’s title.
The medal and trophy ceremony for each category were presided over by different chief guests as Abdulsamad bin Taj Mohammed al Balushi, Head of Procurement and contracts in Oman Fiber Optic Company, presented the trophies in women’s doubles. Mohammed bin Othman al Balushi, Group HR and Administration Chief, awarded the medals and trophies of the men’s doubles event. Yarab bin Abdullah al Saiari, Co-founder of Yarab al Saiari and Saud al Maawali Advocates and legal Consultants, gave away the prizes in women’s singles while Eng Aladdin bin Abdullah Bait Fadhil, Chief Commercial Officer at Omantel, delivered the medals and trophies to the winners of men’s singles accompanied by Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamakhalif, OTTA Chairman.
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