Chesterfield's Liam Pitchford steps up injury comeback with big tournament win
Pitchford proved his fitness and match-sharpness as he won nine matches to take the title
Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford won his second World Table Tennis tour title by lifting the WTT Feeder Lila Nova de Gaia in Portugal as he steps up his recovery from hip surgery.
Pitchford, who has been ranked as high as No 12 in the world, had fallen to No 236 since having major hip surgery last December – meaning he had to start the tournament in the qualifying rounds.
But he proved his fitness and match-sharpness as he won nine matches to take the title – which he adds to the 2025 WTT Feeder Manchester gold.
He got through four qualifying matches to reach the main draw and then took out No 7 seed Lilian Bardet of France in the round of 32.
He was 7-3 down in the deciding fifth game but only allowed his opponent one more point as he sprinted to the finishing line to complete a 3-2 (5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8) victory.
Three more wins, including another 3-2 against Luca Mladenovic of Luxembourg in the quarter-finals, set up a final against Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, the fourth seed, who had beaten him in four close games at the European Championships last month.
This time, it was 3-1 (8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6) to Pitchford as he recovered from losing the first game and saved game points in the second.
“It’s been a crazy, long week, to be honest,” said Pitchford. “I knew it was going to be tough to get to the main draw because there’s a lot of good players even in qualifying.
“Four matches to get to the main draw was more than I wanted for the body, but I think it helped me get used to the balls and get into the rhythm.
“Against Bardet, I felt good and even at 7-3 down in the fifth, I stuck to the gameplan and managed to turn it around, and that gave me confidence.
“Then in the final, I was struggling a bit with my glute or my hamstring, and at 1-0 down and 8-10, I decided to relax and not give him anything, focus my energy on only playing the points, and the last two sets I played very smart table tennis, which I was pleased with.
“The whole journey coming back from injury, doing the work nobody sees – this makes it all worth it.
“This year was always going to take time to come back and find the match level, and I didn’t think it would happen as soon as this. It gives me confidence to know I can win these matches.”
Pictchford’s week’s work also sees him move up 103 places in the world rankings to No 133, having picked up 125 ranking points. By picking up more points, he can earn a place at higher-level tour events as he steps up his efforts to qualify for a fifth Olympics at LA 2028.
He said: “I’m not really focused on the ranking at the moment. It’s nice to win and get the points, but I’m trying to stay fit and practice well, which I’m doing.
“This week felt like I’ve turned a corner a bit, not necessarily playing my best stuff but knowing how to play smart and get into a position to win.”