American Kanak Jha – who received a wildcard to the tournament and is ranked 56th in the world – knocked out the Swedish Olympic silver medalist and world number seven with 3–2 in sets in the second round of the World Championship tournament in Singapore.
Möregårdh lost everything when it mattered most in the fifth set. At 2–2, Jha won nine straight points to take the set 11–2.
Everyone is talking about Truls
Table tennis legend Jan-Ove Waldner finds the explanation in the 22-year-old being affected after the success in the Paris Olympic Games, where Möregårdh took silver in both singles and team events.
The Swede was voted winner of the Jerring Award in January and has been seen a lot in both advertising and media contexts since last summer.
I don't think he's had a moment's peace since the Olympic Games. He's Sweden's most popular athlete right now. Wherever you go, everyone's talking about Truls, says Waldner in SVT's broadcast.
He'll come back. In some way, it was maybe good that this happened. Then he'll start over and will be a bit underdog in the next tournament, he continues.
Källberg the only one left
Even in the first round, Möregårdh had big problems with Romanian Ovidiu Ionescu, whom he knocked out with 3–2 in sets.
When you reach the top and achieve good results, everyone wants to beat you. This will be his toughest time, this year, in his entire career, says Waldner.
Anton Källberg is thus the only remaining Swede in the singles tournament. The Swede will face Chinese world number one Wang Chuqin in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
