I lost well! Ahn Jae-hyun, the ping pong genius of fighting spirit, failed to advance to the semifinals for the first time in six years, losing to Brazil's natural enemy by one to four (Doha World Table Tennis Championship)
May 24, 2025
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Ahn Jae-hyun lost to Brazilian ace Hugo Calderano 1-4 in the quarterfinals of the men's singles at the 2025 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships held at Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on the 24th (Korea time).
Ahn Jae-hyun reached the quarterfinals with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Felix LeBrug (France, world No. 7) who won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in the round of 16. He showed perfect play with no shortage of speed, power or footwork. He was the only Korean male and female player to reach the singles quarterfinals amid praise for the `Korea Drama.' Expectations were high after the surprise semifinals of the 2019 Hungarian Budapest Games.
However, he faced a strong opponent in the quarterfinals, 'non-Chinese top ranker' Calderano. It is a natural enemy who has lost all five games and recently lost four consecutive games. In a pre-departure interview, Ahn Jae-hyun predicted the meeting. "Calderano has a strong ball. It is the best non-national group. He has a lot of experience, handles short balls well, and has strong balls. It is difficult if the initiative is taken away. It's hard to even try something. You lose even though you know it. I'm a player who plays that I don't like. But I have to deal with my shortcomings. We have to get through it once."
As expected, he was a strong opponent again this time. Ahn Jae-hyun struggled in the first game. It fell to 1-5, but responded strongly to the rally and chased 2-5. However, he lost one game 4-11 behind Calderano's short ball and seasoned operation. "There's nothing to doLooking at Ahn Jae-hyun, who was frustrated, Oh Sang-eun, the men's national team coach, said, `Try to endure it by adding white fighting. If you endure it, you will have a chance. If you think you can't, it'll be more difficult."
Ahn Jae-hyun's back drive in the second game was fierce and scored two points. He led the rally 3-2 by inducing his opponent's error. 3-3, 4-4, followed by a tight flow. However, he was pushed by Calderano's strong ball and allowed a 4-6 turnaround, and at 5-10, Ahn Jae-hyun showed a backhand spin like lightning to chase to 6-10, but eventually gave up two games 6-11. Ahn Jae-hyun's turnaround in the 3rd game has begun. He took a 5-1 lead with his unique fast beat. In the rally that fell off the table, he did not lose in both power and technology. 7-3. ITTF broadcasters marveled at the awl-like attack penetrating the corner and the end of the table, saying "Magic". However, Calderano's powerful top pin came to life and chased 9-8. Immediately after the timeout, Ahn Jae-hyun's backhand was fierce. I got the game point. By overcoming the clothesline rally, 11-9, Ahn Jae-hyun roared hot.The broadcaster expressed anticipation, saying 'The marathon man has now started his race. However, Calderado maintained the line and stepped up to the strong field. Ahn Jae-hyun also chased to 5-4 with a lightning counterattack and solid receiving, and took a tight flow of 6-6, 7-7. However, it was later shaken by Calderano's powerful back drive. They lost three games 7-11. In five games, 2-2, Ahn Jae-hyun rolled up the ball under the table, controlling the pace and overwhelming the opponent with a harness. Oh-sang was applauded generously by the director. They led 4-2. He was at a disadvantage, but he didn't mean to give up the podium easily. However, it fell to 5-6 after giving up a serve point to Calderano. Tied 6-6, didn't give up after giving up a match point 8-10. It was a tenacious catch-up until 9-10. Cheers poured in on the brilliant fighting spirit. The Brazilian bench shouted a timeout. He poked the ball into the corner of the opponent's table with a full swing. 10-10, deuce game has started. He lost 10-12 but kept his promise of a great game. It was regrettable that the 1-2 games were easily lost due to the opponent's flow in the early stages. In three to five games, they played a close game. It lost all six games, but it was a performance that we could fully expect the next face-off.
Ahn Jae-hyun finished his fourth individual world championship with the singles quarterfinals. It is nice to see Ahn Jae-hyun's revival, a genius who came back even though he missed the medal. Ahn Jae-hyun, ranked 17th in the world, reached the quarterfinals of this tournament and is on the verge of becoming the top 10 target this season.
Meanwhile, Hugo Calderano, who won his first bronze medal as a Brazilian player along with advancing to the semifinals, said of Ahn Jae-hyun "I've tried many times, but Ahn Jae-hyun is a really strong player. She also won a bronze medal in this competition. He showed an unbelievable shot"I respect him.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
