Table tennis: beaten in the quarterfinals of the China Smash, Félix Lebrun will not be world number 1… for the moment

Frenchman Félix Lebrun, world number 2, was eliminated on Saturday by Brazilian Hugo Calderano (7th) in the quarter-finals of the Grand Smash of China in Beijing, four sets to one (9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9). This defeat puts an end to the 20-year-old's hopes of taking first place in the world this weekend, which he would have won if he were successful in the final. The last and only Frenchman to have reached such a level is none other than Jean-Philippe Gatien, in 1992. No French table tennis player has achieved this since the creation of the WTT world circuit in 2019.

Trailing 9-7 in the opening, Lebrun closed the game at the crucial moment to take the first set, much to the annoyance of his opponent, whom he had dominated at the Paris Olympics during the bronze medal match. But he was not mentally affected: regularly insisting on Lebrun's backhand, he quickly led 10-6 in the second set. After seeing three set points saved by the Frenchman, the Brazilian called a timeout, and equalized when the game resumed with one set everywhere.

Calderano then accelerated midway through the third set to pull away with six straight points. The youngest of the Lebrun brothers saved five set points brilliantly before losing on the sixth. The turning point of the match took place when the Montpellier player missed a set point in the fourth set while his opponent did not miss the opportunity to conclude on his first opportunity.

In the fifth set, at 9-9, the Brazilian made a heroic defense to grant himself a match point, which was enough for him to win. Calderano thus took his revenge on the player who knocked him out in the quarter-finals of the Grand Smash of Europe in Sweden two months ago. Alexis and Félix Lebrun will compete in the men's doubles final of the Grand Smash of China on Saturday against the South Koreans Lim Jonghoon and Oh Junsung.