Hugo Calderano sent notice to the critics last week as he fought his way into the final of WTT Champions Macao. He walked away with silver after a spirited Truls Moregardh took the crown, but his performance against #1 seed Sora Matsushima turned heads in the quarterfinal stage. 

It started with a 4-0 win in the round of 32 over Nicholas Lum from Australia, who had stepped in to replace China's Wang Chuqin for the event. Lily Zhang also recorded a victory in the opening round in 5 games over long-time Canadian rival Mo Zhang. 

While Zhang's campaign would end in the round of 16 against an in-form Dina Meshref (had beaten Wang Yidi in the previous round), it was Calderano who powered on. 

A finals performance was the benchmark, with Hugo looking to try and capture his first Champions title, after losing out in 2025 in Macao in the final. 

After dropping the opening game, he landed a decisive 3-1 victory against Tomislav Pucar, a player who seems a regular opposition for the Brazilian in major WTT events. 

The quarterfinal would be a major test for Calderano, he met Sora Matsushima in the draw for the first time. Matsushima is on a fast-track to challenging for the World Number 1 ranking, having won the WTT US Smash and made the World Cup Final so far this year. 

Hugo rose to the occasion in an intense battle. The speed and power in the open game of Matsushima was a big factor, but Hugo was able to give himself space and fend off the opposition. As usual his tight serve and short game helped him look for early advantage, with explosive first attacks and great power levels at the mid distance. 

He consistently managed to put Sora on the defensive on the backhand, and was confident countering further back even against Sora's snappy forehand attacks. 

4-2 the end score and Calderano advanced into the semifinal.

There he would make short work of Anton Kallberg of Sweden, who had clawed victory over Alexis Lebrun from the jaws of defeat in his quarterfinal. 

The style matchup proved comfortable for Hugo, who was able to consistently overpower his opponent in a straight games win. 

The final was decided in 5 games, with Hugo narrowly losing out in the second and fourth games by 11 points to 9. Truls' irregular rhythm and balance of touch play and aggression was enough to make the difference, even as Hugo continued to dial in and play with impressive force.

Many commenters online marveled over the stronger performance, particularly over Sora. From Lubljana's final to the present day it appears Hugo is focused and improving form by the day. We look forward to seeing him put his best foot forward next at the China Smash in Beijing!