For Kanak Jha, Hugo Calderano is like VISA. "The Thrill from Brazil" is everywhere he wants to be. Jha, the USA's top player with a world #26 ranking, qualified for the 2019 ITTF Men's World Cup with a solid second place finish. Standing one step higher on the podium, however, was Calderano, the 23-year-old Brazilian phenom ranked sixth in the world. The top players on their respective continents, Calderano and the 19-year-old Jha frequently cross paths and swords at various Pan American championships. Despite Jha's steady rise to join Calderano among the world's elite players, the South American usually gets the better of their clashes. Against this backdrop, the two once again took to the table today. At stake was no mere continental clash, but no less prestigious a title than the World Cup. Calderano, seeded fourth at the 2019 ITTF Men's World Cup, had the luxury of waiting to see which opponent would have to battle his way out of a qualifying group. Jha, unseeded, had to fight mightily to advance his round robin group, rallying from an 0-2 deficit to Egypt's Omar Assar to secure the necessary second place finish. Once he had advanced to the sweet sixteen, Jha checked the pairings and found an all-too-familiar name: Hugo Calderano. Undaunted, Jha wasted no time in securing a 2-0 lead, each by an 11-9 score. Could the tables finally be turning in his favor? Not so fast, said Calderano, getting on the board with a convincing 11-6 win. Jha pressed his advantage, however, securing the fourth game with another 11-9 score to go up 3-1. It would be hard to say which player was more nervous at this point, each for very different reasons. Some evidence can be found in the scoreline, however. Game five to Calderano, 11-7. Game five to Calderano, 11-5. Game five to Calderano, 11-8, completing the comeback and sending a stunned Jha packing. "It was a very tough match for me," said Calderano afterward. "I could not play well. I was 3-1, 7-4 down. So I just had to keep calm and try to find good focus, find some solutions to win the match. "Kanak played very well," Calderano added graciously. "He has improved a lot in the last month." While Hugo Calderano keeps charging ahead, Kanak Jha keeps finding his Brazilian nemesis is already where he wants to be. Just like a certain charge card.

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