FRANKFURT, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Swedish table tennis player Anton Kallberg stunned world No. 1 Wang Chuqin of China with a 3-0 straight-set win on Wednesday in the men's singles round of 16 at WTT Champions Frankfurt.

Kallberg caused a huge stir at Suwag Energie Arena by defeating Wang 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.

Contesting their first encounter in the WTT Series, Wang entered the match as the clear favorite. However, the two-time WTT Champions event winner struggled to find answers to Kallberg's relentless challenges.

An opening game setback soon became a serious concern for Wang as an inspired Kallberg elevated his game, building a stunning two-game lead over the top seed.

With the finish line in sight, Kallberg called a time-out at 9-5 up in the third game to disrupt any hopes of a late comeback from Wang. The strategy worked, and Kallberg sealed the victory, sparking celebrations.

Kallberg recorded a career-best win over the World No. 1 and became only the second player to claim a straight-sets win over Wang at WTT events, joining China's Liang Jingkun in an exclusive club.

"It's a little bit surreal right now. I just played a fantastic match. I think I need a little more time to realize what happened," said Kallberg.

"I have huge respect for Wang. He's still the World No. 1, even though he didn't have his best day today. But I'm super happy I could have my best day."

With this sensational win, Kallberg advances to the quarterfinals of a WTT Champions event for the first time, blowing the men's singles race wide open in Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Wang will now turn his focus to the end-of-season WTT Finals Fukuoka 2024. Enditem

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