Tuesday, October 31th, 2023.- Table tennis continues its development in Santiago 2023 at Centro Nacional de Entrenamiento Olímpico (CEO) in Ñuñoa. In the men's singles competition, Brazilian Hugo Calderano had no major difficulties in reaching the semifinals.
Calderano, the current world number four, defeated Chilean Gustavo Gómez with scores of 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, and 11-6, thereby leaving the local players with no representatives in the remaining part of the male's table tennis, following the exit of Nicolás Burgos against Canadian Eugene Wang.
Delighted with his victory, the Brazilian stated, "It was a tough match. Gustavo is a challenging player, whom I've faced on several occasions, and who also had the support of the Chilean crowd today. I didn't start the first set very well, but fortunately, I was able to recover and gain more control."
Looking ahead to what's next, he added, "Now, I have the doubles final coming up, and tomorrow I have to face Mexican Marcos Madrid. I'll rest as much as I can. I'm confident of winning both matches."
On the other hand, Chilean Gómez acknowledged, "In the first set, I was able to create some differences, winning and putting a bit more pressure. When he came back, he overwhelmed me, let loose, and attacked me from all sides. Well, that's how a world number four plays."
Without seeking excuses, the Chilean recognized the inconvenience of this matchup. "I might have liked to play against another opponent in this stage, to try to go a bit further, but well, the draw was like that. The outcome is positive because I didn't come here with very good individual results," he concluded.
Now, Calderano will face Mexican Marcos Madrid in the semi-finals, who advanced by defeating Argentine Santiago Lorenzo in the quarter-finals with scores of 11-6, 11-7, 11-6, and 11-9. The match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1st, at Centro Nacional de Entrenamiento Olímpico (CEO) in Ñuñoa.
Written by Patricio Echagüe and Leslie Castillo; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Alex Diaz / Santiago 2023 / Photosport
