Huge upset! WTT Frankfurt Champions: Tomokazu Harimoto loses 1-3 again, Hugo also eliminated

On November 8th Beijing time, the WTT Frankfurt Champions continued, with all eight spots in the men's singles round of 16 decided. However, two major shocks occurred as two top title contenders, Tomokazu Harimoto and Hugo, were both knocked out, which was truly surprising!

Tomokazu Harimoto faced the experienced 37-year-old German player Dimitrij Ovtcharov, a strong competitor who has troubled China's top players before and is not easy to beat. Although Harimoto had dominated recent encounters, he started slowly in this match, with Ovtcharov controlling the offense and Harimoto struggling with returns, quickly losing the first two games and falling into a tough spot. In the third game, Harimoto fought back fiercely with varied tactics, managing to take a game while maintaining the lead. However, in the fourth game, Ovtcharov unleashed full power to pull ahead, leaving Harimoto struggling to score and ultimately accepting defeat. The final score was a shocking 1-3 loss, knocking Harimoto out of the quarterfinals. This match was heartbreaking for Harimoto, especially with China absent from the competition, as he still couldn't claim the title. While much focus is on how to counter Chinese players, the tall and strong European players have been underestimated. This isn't Harimoto's first loss to European opponents; such defeats happen frequently, and this one surely caused him great pain as he missed another chance at the championship!

Hugo faced the French player Simon, a representative of a strong table tennis nation. Hugo had a breakthrough season, winning the World Cup and finishing runner-up at the World Championships, becoming China's top rival. However, his form dipped afterward; he missed the US Open due to visa issues and suffered an early exit in Montpellier. With China absent, he was considered a favorite here. In the round of 16 against Simon, Hugo seemed off from the start, quickly losing the first game as Simon dominated. Simon kept up the pressure in the second game, and despite trailing, Hugo fought hard but Simon clinched the crucial points to take the second game, putting Hugo in a dire position. Hugo refused to give up in the third game, mounting a strong comeback to take it. The fourth game was fiercely contested with Simon showing great resilience, both players battling intensely to reach the decisive points. Simon made a decisive and confident shot to win the match 3-1, causing a major upset with Hugo eliminated and sent home!

It must be said that this tournament has been full of surprises. First, world No. 5 Moregard, who won in Montpellier, was knocked out in the first round. Then world No. 3 Hugo and world No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto both failed to reach the quarterfinals. This is quite unexpected, especially with China not participating. These three top favorites all exited early, which is truly astonishing!

Written by / Sports Novel