Saint Lucia’s top table tennis player, DeAndre Calderon was knocked out in the preliminary rounds of the ITTF-Americas Cup San Francisco 2026 Presented by Mongo DB on January 28, winning his second-round match, but losing at the penultimate hurdle.
After a bye in the first round, Calderon overpowered Kef Noorami of the USA 3:0 (13-11, 11-9. 11-9) in just under half an hour. He overcame a five-point deficit to take the opening game, growing in confidence as the match wore on. In the third, he never trailed, and led by as many as six.
Against Argentina’s Nicolas Callaba, he lost 3:1 (11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6) just one phase away from the main draw. He led at some point in every game, including a three-point cushion early in the final frame before Callaba came storming back for the win.
“We congratulate DeAndre on his fierce competition at the ITTF Americas cup 2026,” said a release from the Saint Lucia Table Tennis Association. “The very best players in the Americas [are] competing in this tournament.
“We congratulate DeAndre on his display of the fierce Lucian fighting spirit as he continues to represent Saint Lucia on the world stage and put us on the map as one of the strongest table tennis nations in the world.”
Calderon, a former Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States champion, and two-time junior Male Sports Personality of the Year, is among 37 men competing at the 888 Table Tennis Center in Burlingame, California, up to February 1.
As a premier annual event for the Pan American region, the ITTF Americas Cup San Francisco 2026 brings together the strongest men and women from across North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean for one of the most prestigious titles in the hemisphere. The top four players in Men’s and Women’s Singles events will earn qualification to the 2026 ITTF World Cup in Macao.
