Kanak Jha (Men’s Singles No. 24) dashed away from the table and tumbled to the ground. The American picked himself up and shook hands with Brazil’s Hugo Calderano (No. 3), whom he's lost to nearly a dozen times throughout his career, before falling to his knees. A massive smile lit up his face. He shook his fists to the sky and smacked the ground with his hand. The words “Congratulations to the Winner” appeared just a few feet away from him.
After scoring his final point against Calderano, Jha was declared that match's shocking, yet deserving winner.
Jha took down Calderano in a stunning five-game upset during the first round (R32) of WTT Champions Montpellier 2025 (Men's) on Wednesday. With this loss, Calderano leaves a Men’s Singles Tournament before the Round of 16 for the first time in over seven months.
Jha had lost 10 of 11 games against Calderano heading into their match on Wednesday, with his only win coming in the final of ITTF Pan American Championships Santiago 2022. He most recently fell to Calderano in four games in the Men’s Singles final of ITTF Pan American Championships Rock Hill 2025.
The first game was another onslaught for Calderano, who demolished Jha 11-4. Calderano played well in the second game, but Jha fought back hard enough to keep the score tight until the American won 13-11.
“In the second game I just told myself, 'Believe in yourself. Win or lose, believe, I can do it,' Jha told reporters after the match. “I think that mindset was the biggest factor in the end.”
Calderano earned another comfortable win in the third game, but he reached his 11-6 victory with Jha following close behind throughout it. Jha caught back up to Calderano in the fourth game, trading leads until Jha emerged with an 11-9 win to force a winner-take-all fifth game.
In that fifth game, Calderano held a consistent lead for the first nine points of the match. Jha then tied the score at 5-5, and again at 6-6. From there, Jha went on a three-point scoring run. Calderano tried to claw his way back into the game, even cutting Jha’s lead to just one point, but Jha wrapped up the game with an 11-9 win to send the top seed home.
Jha will face Korea’s Lee Sang Su (No. 28) in the Round of 16 on Friday.
Calderano's early exit makes WTT Champions Montpellier 2025 the first WTT Champions event of this season where neither No. 1 seed will advance to the second round. Romania’s Bernadette Szocs (Women’s Singles No. 19) shocked top-seed Chen Xingtong (Women’s No. 3) from China in the Women’s Singles bracket on Tuesday.
This tournament is the penultimate WTT Champions event before the start of WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025, which Calderano has already qualified for. Players have until the conclusion of WTT Star Contender Muscat 2025 to earn one of a few coveted tickets to Hong Kong.
.jpg)
