Rio table tennis player Hugo Calderano, 29, took second place this Monday (9) in the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) world rankings, the best position ever achieved by a player from outside Asia or Europe. The Brazilian’s best ranking so far had been third place.
With 6,050 points, Calderano surpassed China’s Lin Shidong, who dropped to 5,875 points, after the Singapore Smash 2025 results expired. The Brazilian is guaranteed second place until at least March 1st, when the 2026 edition of Singapore Smash ends. His next commitment is precisely the tournament in Asia, which takes place between February 22nd and March 1st.
“It is a great pride for me to take Brazil to yet another unprecedented place in the history of table tennis. This feat is the result of an incredible season, the best of my career so far. The year is just beginning and I hope to achieve other great results”, said the table tennis player.
The ITTF ranking considers each athlete’s eight best results over the last 52 weeks. Points earned in each competition are valid for one year and expire after that period.
Over the last 12 months, Calderano won the World Cup, came second in the World Cup, in addition to winning three titles on the international circuit (WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu, WTT Star Contender Ljubljana and WTT Contender Buenos Aires). He also won the Pan American Championship and the ITTF Americas Cup.
Recently, Calderano signed a contract with Saarbrücken-TT, from Germany, current three-time champions of the Champions League, for the 2026/27 season.
