Anton Källberg suffered a hard final loss against the world number two in the WTT Champions tournament this weekend.
Now he hopes to join Truls Mörehårdh in the WTT tournament in Japan next week – but then his ranking points must be enough.
– I can come there if one or two don’t play, he says to SVT Sport.
He surprised a lot of people by beating the world number one Wang Chuqin with a clear 3-0 in sets in the round of 16 on the world tour in Frankfurt last week. Anton Källberg27, had also gotten past the Egyptian Omar Assar in the round before – and there offered the world an insane blow that went viral afterwards. Both opponents hit Truls Möregårdh22, also in the summer singles tournament at the Olympics.
Källberg in historic final
After the victory against the world number one, the Swede was shocked, but of course extremely satisfied.
– I don’t know what to say. Of course, I’m a little overwhelmed by how I played today. I am so happy with my game, from the first ball to the end, said Källberg in the victory interview on WTT’s YouTube channel.
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In the semis, he beat close friend Truls Möregårdh and thus became the first Swede to reach the final in a WTT Champions competition. Once there, however, there was a big blow against the world number two Lin Shidong. Källberg had too much respect for the Chinese, who won 4-1.
– It gives me confidence and shows me that I can go all the way to the final in a competition where the very best are involved. I hope to show that this is not a one-time thing, but that I can repeat it more times in the future, he tells SVT Sport.
Anton Källberg’s new goal
Now 27-ranked Anton Källberg has a new goal ahead. He wants to accompany Truls Möregårdh (ranked 11 in the world) at the WTT tournament in Fukuoka, Japan, November 20-24. The crux is that only the world’s 16 best players are allowed to participate. It is still unclear how high Källberg will rise in the rankings after the final place at the latest, but probably not high enough. Kan will have to rely on some invited player not being able to come.
– I can come there if one or two don’t play. Ma Long and Damn Zhendong haven’t played many competitions and if they’re not there, I think I’ll come, he says.
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We can only hope that Anton Källberg gets another chance to show off as soon as possible. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the form holds. The same for Truls Möregårdh, who actually went to the semi-finals last time. Well done guys, you are so talented!
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