How 11-year-old Marlon Börner went straight from high school to facing Brazil's star Hugo Calderano in top table tennis league

Monday 27 January 2025 is a day that 11-year-old Marlon Börner will never forget.

It didn't start out as anything special. The young German attended his high school, as usual, but then got news that he had been called up to represent the senior team of his table tennis club, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, in their Bundesliga match that same evening.

With three of his teammates unavailable due to illness, Börner was thrust into the limelight for the top league clash against TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen.

His opponent in the men's singles, none other than three-time Olympian and reigning Pan American Games champion Hugo Calderano.

Börner couldn't quite pull off a fairytale shock win, losing 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 to the Brazilian, who finished fourth at Paris 2024.

Clips of the match online showed both players smiling and enjoying the occasion.

“A big thanks to Marlon, who spontaneously helped out and replaced our sick and injured players. Who can claim to have played against Hugo Calderano,” his club shared on social media.

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