(Photo: WTT)
Brazilian Bruna Takahashi lost to Austrian Sofia Polcanova by 3 sets to 0 (11/8, 11/7 and 11/7), in the early hours of this Friday (29), and fell into the round of 16 of the WTT Champions in Incheon , in South Korea. Earlier, Hugo Calderano reached the quarter-finals and remains Brazil’s only representative in the competition that is part of the world table tennis circuit.
Polcanova was dominant in the duel against Bruna and won in three sets. In the first set, the Brazilian was 5/2 ahead, but conceded five points in a row and lost 11/8. In the second half, the Austrian took advantage halfway through the game and won 11/7. Finally, in the third set, Bruna also had 4/3 and took four consecutive points, being defeated again by 11/7.
Bruna is 19th in the world rankings, while Polcanova is 29th. The two athletes had a victory in Incheon before facing each other. The Brazilian passed the German Xiaona Shan (36th), while the Austrian defeated the South Korean Shin Yubin (7th). In the quarterfinals, Polcanova will face China’s Wang Yidi, number three in the world.
With the setback, Bruna Takahashi says goodbye to WTT Champions Incheon. She will gain 70 points in the world rankings with the campaign and could even gain a position in the next update, reaching 18th place. At this moment, the Brazilian would be one of the top seeds for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – for which she is already qualified – and would enter the individual tournament only in the third round.
Hugo Calderano is still alive
Now, Brazil remains alive in the South Korean event only with Hugo Calderano, who is eighth in the men’s table tennis world rankings. Even this morning, he beat Frenchman Alexis Lebrun and advanced to the quarterfinals. Hugo will face Alexis’ brother, French star Felix Lebrun, this Friday (30), at 11pm (Brasília time).
22 years old from São Paulo. Journalist graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). I’ve been at Olimpíada Todo Dia since 2022. I covered the World University Games in Chengdu and the Pan-American Games in Santiago-2023.
