Hugo Calderano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hugo Calderano
Calderano in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Hugo Marinho Borges Calderano
Born	(1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 29) Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Highest ranking	3 (1 February 2022)
Current ranking	3 (21 April 2025)
Club	TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	74 kg (163 lb)
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing  Brazil World Cup Gold 2025 Macao Singles WTT Cup Finals Bronze 2021 Singapore Singles ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Bronze 2018 Incheon Singles Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto Singles Gold 2015 Toronto Team Gold 2019 Lima Singles Gold 2019 Lima Doubles Gold 2023 Santiago Singles Gold 2023 Santiago Team Silver 2023 Santiago Doubles Bronze 2019 Lima Team Pan American Championships Gold 2017 Cartagena de Indias Singles Gold 2017 Cartagena de Indias Team Gold 2021 Lima Singles Gold 2021 Lima Team Gold 2022 Santiago Singles Gold 2022 Santiago Team Gold 2023 Havana Singles Gold 2023 Havana Team Gold 2024 San Salvador Singles Silver 2024 San Salvador Mixed doubles Pan American Cup Gold 2018 Asunción Singles Gold 2019 Guaynabo Singles Gold 2020 Guaynabo Singles Latin American Championships Gold 2014 Santo Domingo Singles Gold 2014 Santo Domingo Team Gold 2015 Buenos Aires Singles Gold 2015 Buenos Aires Team Gold 2016 San Juan Singles Gold 2016 San Juan Team Silver 2014 Santo Domingo Doubles Latin American Table Tennis Cup Gold 2016 Guatemala City Singles Youth Olympic Games Bronze 2014 Nanjing Singles

Hugo Marinho Borges Calderano (born June 22, 1996, in Rio de Janeiro) is a famous Brazilian table tennis player. Many people think he is the best player from the American continent ever. In January 2022, he reached the No. 3 spot in the world rankings. This was the highest rank any player from the Americas had ever achieved. At the 2024 Olympics, he made history again. He was the first table tennis player from the Americas to reach an Olympic semi-final.

Hugo Calderano is also the first player from Latin America to be in the Top 10 of the ITTF World Rankings. He has won medals in many big competitions. These include the Table Tennis World Cup, the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, and the WTT Champions. He also finished fifth in the World Table Tennis Championships and fourth in the Olympic Games. He has even beaten top Chinese players like Fan Zhendong and Liang Jingkun. In the 2025 World Cup, he beat the world's top three players to win the gold medal!

Early Life and Training

Hugo was born in Rio de Janeiro. He started playing table tennis when he was eight years old. His mom, dad, and grandpa were all physical education teachers. This meant he was encouraged to play sports from a very young age. When he was 10 to 12, he played on the Rio volleyball team. He was also a champion in the long jump for pre-schoolers.

At 14, Hugo moved from Rio de Janeiro to São Caetano do Sul. This was so he could join the Brazilian table tennis team. In 2010, at 14, he became the South American and Latin American Children's Champion. The next year, at 15, he won many titles. He was the Brazilian Youth Champion and Latin American Children's Champion in Peru. He also won the Argentine Open Youth in singles, team, and doubles.

In 2012, at 16, he won a bronze medal at the World Cadet Challenge. He was also the South American Youth Champion in singles, teams, and doubles. He won youth open competitions in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Poland.

By 2013, at 17, Hugo was the youngest table tennis player to win a World Tour event. He was also the first to win both Youth and Adult World Tour events in the same year. He won a silver medal at the Polish Youth Open. He was also the Brazilian Open Adult Champion and Brazilian Open Youth Champion.

Becoming a Table Tennis Star

First Big Wins (2014-2016)

In 2014, when he was 18, Hugo had his first Olympic experience. He won a bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. He also won a silver medal in the ITTF Grand Finals for players under 21. He became the Japan Open under-21 Champion and the Brazilian Adult Singles Champion. He also won the Latin American Adult Champion title.

From 2014 to 2021, Hugo played for the Ochsenhausen team in Germany.

In 2015, he won two gold medals at the Pan American Games. He won in the individual and team events. He also became the Latin American individual and team champion. He won a silver medal in doubles at the Qatar Open.

In 2016, Hugo won more titles. He was the Latin American Champion in singles and team events. He also won the Latin American Table Tennis Cup in Guatemala. He was the Kuwait Open under-21 champion. He won a silver medal in singles at the Austrian Open and a doubles title at the Swedish Open.

Olympic Debut in Rio (2016)

Hugo played in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. He reached the round of 16. This was a big achievement for Brazil. Only Hugo Hoyama, another Brazilian table tennis legend, had done this before. Hugo finished 9th in the competition.

Climbing the Ranks (2017-2020)

Hugo Calderano in 2017

In January 2017, Hugo entered the top 20 table tennis players in the world. At the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships, he lost in the third round to Xu Xin, who was ranked 3rd in the world. At the 2017 Pan American Table Tennis Championships, he won two gold medals in singles and team events. That year, he also won bronze in singles and doubles at the Czech Republic Open. He was singles and doubles champion at the Brazilian Open.

At the 2018 World Team Table Tennis Championships, Hugo reached the quarterfinals with his teammates Gustavo Tsuboi and Eric Jouti. He also won the gold medal at the 2018 ITTF Pan-America Cup. In July 2018, Hugo entered the world's top 10 table tennis players.

In December 2018, Hugo won a historic bronze medal at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals. He beat Fan Zhendong, the world's number 1 player. This was a huge win! He then lost to Tomokazu Harimoto in the semi-finals. Hugo started 2018 ranked 17th and finished it ranked 6th.

In 2019, Hugo won the gold medal at the 2019 ITTF Pan-America Cup again. This made him a two-time champion.

Hugo Calderano at the 2019 Pan American Games

At the 2019 Pan American Games, Hugo won gold in singles. He became a two-time champion in this event. He also won gold in doubles and bronze in teams.

At the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships, Hugo reached the round of 16. He played against Ma Long, a two-time world and Olympic champion.

In 2020, Hugo won the gold medal at the 2020 ITTF Pan-America Cup for the third time.

New Challenges and Milestones (2021)

In 2021, Hugo decided to leave the German Bundesliga. He moved to the Russian Champion's league. This was to focus more on big international competitions. He still lived and trained in Germany.

Hugo won the WTT Star Contender Doha in September 2021. He beat Liam Pitchford and Darko Jorgic to win the title. In September 2021, Hugo entered the world's top 5 table tennis players for the first time.

At the 2021 Pan American Table Tennis Championships, Hugo became a two-time Pan American champion in singles and team events. At the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships, Hugo reached the quarter-finals. He played against Liang Jingkun and lost in a very close match. This was Brazil's best result ever in this tournament, finishing in 5th place.

In December 2021, Hugo won a bronze medal at the WTT Cup Finals. This tournament featured the 16 best players of the season. Hugo ended 2021 as the best season of his career, ranked number four in the world.

Tokyo Olympics (2020)

Hugo Calderano at Tokyo 2020

By February 2021, Hugo had been in the world's top ten for three years. He was ranked sixth globally. He qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as the 4th seed. He was the highest-ranked non-Asian player.

He beat Jang Woojin from South Korea to reach the quarter-finals. This made him the first Brazilian and Latin American to reach this stage in Olympic table tennis. His Olympic journey ended in the quarter-finals. He lost to Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who later won the bronze medal. Hugo finished in 5th place.

Continued Success (2022-2024)

In November 2022, Hugo became a three-time Pan American champion in singles and team events at the 2022 Pan American Table Tennis Championships. He had been undefeated in this competition for seven years.

In March 2023, Hugo played in the Singapore Grand Smash. This tournament includes all the top 20 players. He beat many strong players, including Darko Jorgic and Quadri Aruna. He only lost to Ma Long, the world number 2, in the semi-final. He earned a historic bronze medal.

In July 2023, Hugo reached a big milestone. He had been in the world table tennis Top 20 for 250 weeks in a row! In September 2023, he became a four-time champion in singles and team at the 2023 Pan American Table Tennis Championships. He remained undefeated in this continental competition.

In November 2023, Hugo made history at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. He became the first person to win the table tennis singles gold medal three times in a row at the Pan American Games. He also won gold in the Team event and silver in Doubles.

In January 2024, he was runner-up at the WTT Star Contender Goa in India. This tournament is like a tennis Masters 1000 event. He beat strong players like Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the semi-final.

At the WTT Champions in Incheon in March 2024, Hugo had one of his best performances. He beat Felix Lebrun, the world's 5th best player. In the semi-final, he beat Fan Zhendong, the world number 2 and two-time world champion. Hugo reached the final, where he finished as runner-up. He was the only non-Chinese player to reach the semi-finals in this tournament.

At the WTT Champions in Chongqing, China, Hugo again reached the semi-finals. He beat Olympic medalist Dimitrij Ovtcharov. He also defeated Liang Jingkun, the world number three, for the first time.

At the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2024, Hugo won another major title. He beat Mattias Falck, Cho Dae-seong, and Félix Lebrun to win the trophy. This win helped him secure the number 4 seed position for the Paris Olympics.

In July 2024, he completed 300 weeks in a row in the top ten of the world rankings.

Paris Olympics (2024)

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Hugo had an amazing run in the Men's singles. He won his first three matches without losing many sets. In the quarter-finals, he beat Jang Woo-jin 4-0. This made him the first table tennis player from the Americas to reach an Olympic semi-final. He broke his own record from the 2020 Olympics. In the semi-finals, he played against Truls Möregårdh. It was a very close match, but Hugo lost 4 sets to 2. He then played for the bronze medal against Félix Lebrun but was defeated. He also played in the team competition. Brazil reached the quarterfinals, matching their best Olympic result ever.

After the Paris Olympics, Hugo Calderano returned to 3rd place in the world ranking.

Recent Triumphs (2024-Present)

In October 2024, Hugo became the five-time Pan American Table Tennis Championships champion.

At the 2025 Table Tennis World Cup, he reached the quarter-finals. He beat Tomokazu Harimoto, the world number three. In the semi-finals, he faced Wang Chuqin, the world number two. Hugo came back from being down 3-1 to win 4-3 and reach the final! He is the first table tennis player from outside Asia and Europe to reach the World Cup final. In the final, Hugo played against the world number 1, Lin Shidong. Hugo won the final 4-1, earning the biggest title of his career!

Right after winning the World Cup, Hugo Calderano reached the world number 3 ranking for the third time.

Where Hugo Played: His Clubs

• Fluminense (2004-2010)
• São Caetano do Sul (2010–2014)
• TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (2014–2021)
• Gazprom Fakel Orenburg (2021–2022)
• Kinoshita (2022)
• TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (2023–)

Hugo's Singles Titles

Hugo has won many singles titles throughout his career. Here are some of his most important wins:

Year	Tournament	Final opponent	Score
2013	ITTF World Tour, Brazil Open	Gustavo Tsuboi	4–2
2014	Latin American Championships	Gustavo Tsuboi	4–1
2015	Latin American Championships	Cazuo Matsumoto	4–3
	Pan American Games	Gustavo Tsuboi	4–3
2016	Latin American Championships	Alberto Mino	4–0
	Latin American Cup	Marcos Madrid	4–1
2017	ITTF Challenge, Brazil Open	Anthony Amalraj	4–1
	Pan American Championships	Thiago Monteiro	4–0
2018	Pan American Cup	Gustavo Tsuboi	4–2
2019	Pan American Cup	Kanak Jha	4–1
	Pan American Games	Jiaji Wu	4–3
2020	Pan American Cup	Gustavo Tsuboi	4–1
2021	WTT Star Contender Doha	Darko Jorgić	4–2
	Pan American Championships	Eugene Wang	4–2
2022	WTT Contender Tunis	Alexis Lebrun	4–1
	Pan American Championships	Kanak Jha	4–0
2023	WTT Contender Durban	Yaroslav Zhmudenko	4–0
	WTT Contender Doha	Jang Woo-jin	4–1
	Pan American Championships	Nicolas Burgos	4–1
	WTT Contender Muscat	Liam Pitchford	4–3
	Pan American Games	Andy Pereira	4–0
2024	WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro	An Jae-hyun	4–0
	WTT Star Contender Ljubljana	Félix Lebrun	4–0
	Pan American Championships	Vitor Ishiy	4–0
2025	World Cup	Lin Shidong	4–1

Hugo's Best Results

Singles

In January 2022, Hugo reached his highest singles ranking: number 3 in the world.

• Pan American Table Tennis Championships: Champion (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Pan American Games: Champion (2015, 2019, 2023)
• WTT Contender: Champion (Tunis 2022, Durban 2023, Doha 2023, Muscat 2023, Rio 2024)
• WTT Star Contender: Champion (Doha 2021, Ljubljana 2024)
• WTT Champions: Runner-up (Incheon 2024)
• Grand Smash: Bronze medal (Singapore 2023)
• ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: Bronze medal (Incheon 2018)
• WTT Cup Finals: Bronze medal (Singapore 2021)
• Table Tennis World Cup: Champion (Macau 2025)
• World Table Tennis Championships: Quarterfinals (Houston 2021)
• Olympic Games: Semifinals (Paris 2024)

Doubles

In 2017, Hugo and his partner Gustavo Tsuboi were ranked the 3rd best doubles team in the world.

• Pan American Games: Champion (2019)
• Super Series: Silver medal (Qatar Open 2015)
• Hungarian Open 2016: Silver medal
• Swedish Open 2017: Gold medal
• Rio de Janeiro Open 2017: Gold medal
• World Table Tennis Championships: Reached the Round of 16 (Suzhou 2015, Dusseldorf 2017)

Team Events

From April 2021 to June 2023, the Brazilian team was ranked 6th in the world.

• Pan American Table Tennis Championships: Champion (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• Pan American Games: Champion (2015, 2023)
• Table Tennis World Cup: Reached the Quarterfinals (Dubai 2015, London 2018, Tokyo 2019)
• World Table Tennis Championships: Reached the Quarterfinals (Halmstad 2018)
• Olympic Games: Reached the Quarterfinals (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024)

See also

In Spanish: Hugo Calderano para niños