MACAO, China, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's World No. 1 Sun Yingsha successfully defended her title, and Brazil's Hugo Calderano became the first Brazilian paddler to win the men's singles gold at the 2025 ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup in Macao on Sunday.
Defending champion Sun, who had won the title at last year's Macao event, defeated compatriot Kuai Man 4-0, while Calderano came back to defeat China's Lin Shidong 4-1. This was Calderano's first World Cup title as a professional.
"Lin Shidong started really strong, but I think I was able to find some solutions. Winning the second game gave me a boost, and I could play better and better throughout the match," Calderano reviewed.
The Brazilian noted after the final that China still dominates most tournaments, but added that other nations are working hard to catch up. "There may be more teams that can challenge China's dominance, but China is still the best in the world," he said.
Discussing next month's ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sun noted that his immediate priority is to focus on recovering after this tournament. "I also hope to perform even better there, because I believe the World Championships will bring together more top players and stronger competition. The unknowns and challenges will only increase." ■
