Liam Pitchford says victory in the WTT Feeder Vila Nova de Gaia shows he has “turned a corner” on the comeback trail from major hip surgery.
Pitchford won nine matches in Portugal, having started in qualifying, as he lifted his second title at this level after winning WTT Feeder Manchester last year.
His week’s work also sees him move up 103 places in the world rankings to No 133, having picked up 125 ranking points.
Admitting the week had taken it out of him a bit physically, Pitchford said: “It’s been a crazy, long week, to be honest.
“We came here last Friday (30 October) to do three or four days’ training at the national centre, and I was playing in qualifying, so I knew it was going to be tough to get to the main draw because there’s a lot of good players even in qualifying.
“Four matches to get to the main draw was more than I wanted for the body, but I think it helped me get used to the balls and get into the rhythm.”
His first-round match was against seventh seed Lilian Bardet, and Pitchford won 3-2, having been 7-3 down in the fifth.
“Against Bardet, I felt good and even at 7-3 down in the fifth, I stuck to the gameplan and managed to turn it around, and that gave me confidence,” he said.
Three more wins, including another 3-2 against Luca Mladenovic of Luxembourg in the quarter-finals, set up a final against Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, the fourth seed, who had beaten him in four close games at the European Championships last month. This time, it was 3-1 to Pitchford as he recovered from going 1-0 down and saved game points in the second.
“I was struggling a bit in the final with my glute or my hamstring, and at 1-0 down and 8-10, I decided to relax and not give him anything, focus my energy on only playing the points, and the last two sets I played very smart table tennis, using the experience I’ve got over the years.
“That’s two Feeder titles in the last two I’ve played. I’ve only ever played three Feeders and I’ve won two, (he withdrew injured at the third, WTT Feeder Manchester in 2024), so maybe they like me!
“The whole journey coming back from injury, doing the work nobody sees – this makes it all worth it.
“This year was always going to take time to come back and find the match level, and I didn’t think it would happen as soon as this. It’s only a Feeder but it gives me confidence to know I can win these matches.
“I’m not really focused on the ranking at the moment. It’s nice to win and get the points, but I’m trying to stay fit and practice well, which I’m doing.
“This week felt like I’ve turned a corner a bit, not necessarily playing my best stuff but knowing how to play smart and get into a position to win.”
