Chesterfield's Liam Pitchford hoping to set up clash with world number one at ITTF Finals

Liam Pitchford will face Brazil's Hugo Calderano in the first round of the ITTF Finals in China tomorrow (THUR) - with a likely meeting against World No 1 Fan Zhendong waiting for the winner.
By Paul Stimpson
Published 18th Nov 2020, 10:28 BST
Liam Pitchford will face Brazil's Hugo Calderano in the first round of the ITTF Finals in China tomorrowLiam Pitchford will face Brazil's Hugo Calderano in the first round of the ITTF Finals in China tomorrow
Liam Pitchford will face Brazil's Hugo Calderano in the first round of the ITTF Finals in China tomorrow

Pitchford, seeded 12, will meet the sixth-ranked Calderano at 12.40pm UK time. Top seed Fan faces No 11 seed Jeoung Youngsik of South Korea earlier tomorrow.

The England No 1 said: "I've avoided the Chinese in the first round, so that's a bonus, and hopefully I can get through and challenge them in the second round.

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"I've beaten Calderano the last couple of times I've played him, but he's No 6 in the world for a reason and is a great player, so I'll have to play well to have a chance.

"Every match is tough, the top players in the world are playing, so I've got to go out and be on my game every point. It can go either way, but I'm going in confident I can win."

Pitchford has a 3-0 head-to-head record against Calderano, beating him 4-2 at the Swedish Open in 2016 and then twice in 2018 - 3-0 at the Copper Box as England hosted the ITTF Team World Cup and 4-1 in the last 32 of the China Open.

It is the first time Pitchford has qualified by rights for the event - he had a host-nation wildcard in 2011. It is the first English appearance at the event since Paul Drinkhall qualified in 2014.

Related topics:EnglandChinaChesterfieldBrazil