Hugo was crowned champion of the 2024 WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro, clinching his sixth WTT event title, and has even more reason to celebrate. With the title in his hometown, he gained two positions in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings, rising from 8th to 6th place, ahead of Lin Yun-Ju, from Taiwan, and Lin Gaoyuan, from China. Hugo lifted the trophy on Rio de Janeiro soil following an outstanding run and with the support of the crowd.

“I’m very happy with this title. It was great to play in front of the fans, in my city, in my country. A lot of people came to watch table tennis, so I’m happy with this achievement just a few months before the Olympic Games. It was a very important competition and I played at a very high level. I’d like to thank those who were at the Arena and also those who watched from home. Your support is always very important,” said Hugo.

+ Read also: look back at Hugo’s results so far in 2024

As in 2023, this year’s WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro was held at the Carioca I Arena, in the Barra da Tijuca Olympic Park. Before this home title, Hugo had won five WTT competitions. He won the WTT Star Contender Doha (2021), the WTT Contender Tunis (2022), the WTT Contender Muscat (2023), the WTT Contender Durban (2023) and the WTT Contender Doha (2023).

THREE-TIME FINALIST IN 2024

This wasn’t Hugo’s first significant result of the year. Before winning in Brazil, he was runner-up in two important competitions held in Asia. At the WTT Star Contender Goa, held in Mapuça, India, Hugo played five matches in three days and beat three opponents who were in the top 20 at the time: Lim Jonghoon (South Korea), Anton Källberg (Sweden) and Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany).

+ Follow Hugo on his official channels: Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Hugo did even better in his second-place finish at the WTT Champions Incheon in South Korea. As well as winning four of his five matches, he beat two opponents who were in the top five in the world rankings. Hugo beat Frenchman Felix Lebrun, WR 5, in the quarter-finals, and China’s Fan Zhendong,  WR 2 at the time and two-time world champion, in the semi-finals.

 WTT CONTENDER RIO DE JANEIRO

Hugo made his WTT Contender Rio debut against India’s Manav Vikash Thakkar. He controlled the match and won 3 games to 0 (11/5, 11/8 and 11/7).   His next opponent was Puerto Rican Brian Afanador. The match was more difficult, but Hugo was aggressive and managed to play well at the important moments, winning in straight games: 11/6, 15/13 and 12/10.

In the quarter-finals, Hugo faced Frenchman Thibault Poret, 19, and imposed an intense attitude and efficient serve, winning without any trouble, 3-0, with games of 11/5, 11/8 and 11/5. In the top four of the WTT Contender Rio de Janeiro, he advanced to the final by beating Japan’s Yuta Tanaka : 11/5, 5/11, 11/5 and 11/7.

In the decider, Hugo faced another high-level opponent. His rival was South Korean An Jaehyun, bronze medalist at the 2019 World Championships. Confident and very precise with his shots, Hugo, didn’t let his opponent get comfortable at the table and won the match in four straight games: 11/7, 11/5, 11/5 and 11/6.

RESULTS AT WTT CONTENDER RIO DE JANEIRO

23/05 – 1st round – Hugo 3 x 0 Manav Vikash Thakkar – (11/5, 11/8 and 11/7)

24/05 – Round of 16 – Hugo 3 x 0 Brian Afanador – (11/6, 15/13 and 12/10)

25/05 – Quarter-finals – Hugo 3-0 Thibault Poret – (11/5, 11/8 and 11/5)

25/05 – Semifinal – Hugo 3 x 1 Yuta Tanaka – (11/5, 5/11, 11/5 and 11/7)

26/05 – Final – Hugo 4 x 0 An Jaehyun – (11/7, 11/5, 11/5 and 11/6)