Newly crowned Montpellier champion Truls Moregard is out of WTT Champions Frankfurt at the first hurdle following a shock 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 defeat at the hands of fellow Swede Anton Kallberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soaking up huge applause just a few days ago as he held aloft his first trophy in Montpellier, Moregard was on cloud nine as he touched down in Frankfurt, and was well-backed to go all the way for the second week running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly a week ago, he had beaten Kallberg in straight games, a victory that launched Moregard\u2019s incredible title bid, but their rematch in Frankfurt couldn\u2019t have played out more differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year in Frankfurt, Kallberg had also upset Moregard in an epic semifinal showdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right from the start this time, it was Kallberg who dictated the pace, playing on the front foot as he looked to catch Moregard cold early on. Just three points dropped in the opening game, Kallberg couldn\u2019t have dreamt of a better start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognised at the underdog, Kallberg commanded the overwhelming approval of the crowd, who willed him on as he returned to the table for game two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019d repay their support, taking the energy from the stands to fuel another outstanding performance. An audacious Kallberg flick out wide to the forehand on his service return at 5-3 prompted Moregard to hit the panic button, calling Time Out in hopes of slowing his opponent\u2019s progress, but to no avail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once that second game was locked in, it was always going to be a mammoth task to flip the script, and there would be no such drama as Kallberg kept his foot on the gas to eliminate Moregard from contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think that I have to stop myself from getting too excited, it\u2019s just one match. I need to put all my effort into my next match, to play this well again is going to be real tough. But of course I\u2019m going into that with good confidence and that made me really happy,” said Kallberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n