Alexis Lebrun Reaches WTT Brazil Quarterfinals as Fang Bo Eyes Sweden Smash Return

Posted : 25 July 2026

France enjoyed another productive day at the WTT Star Contender São José dos Campos 2026 as Alexis Lebrun and Thibault Poret secured places in the men's singles quarterfinals, while the country's men's doubles campaign also gathered momentum.

Second seed Alexis Lebrun produced one of the most convincing performances of the Round of 16. The French star defeated Slovakia's Lubomir Pistej 3-0 with scores of 11-5, 11-5, 12-10, wrapping up the contest in just 18 minutes to continue his impressive run in Brazil.

Thibault Poret also booked his place in the last eight after surviving a demanding five-set battle against Germany's Wim Verdonschot. Poret recovered from losing the opening game to claim a 3-2 victory with scores of 4-11, 11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7. His reward is a quarterfinal meeting with Germany's Patrick Franziska.

There was disappointment for Joé Seyfried, whose singles campaign ended after a straight-games defeat to Chinese Taipei's Yi-Hsin Feng. Seyfried lost 3-0 in the Round of 16, while Charlotte Lutz also exited the women's singles after falling 3-1 to Japan's Hitomi Sato.

Despite his singles exit, Seyfried remained in contention for a title after teaming up with Vincent Picard to reach the men's doubles semifinals. The French pair continued their strong partnership with another impressive victory to stay in the hunt for the championship.

Brazil also had reason to celebrate in the mixed doubles competition. Top seeds Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi defeated fellow Brazilians Guilherme Teodoro and Giulia Takahashi 3-1 in an all-Brazilian quarterfinal. The home favourites advanced to the semifinals, where they will face Hong Kong's Kwan To Yiu and Wing Lam Ng.

Attention now turns to Saturday's quarterfinal schedule, with Lebrun set to face Yi-Hsin Feng after the Chinese Taipei player eliminated Seyfried. Poret will take on Franziska as both French players seek a place in the semifinals.

Away from Brazil, former world No. 8 Fang Bo is preparing for another important milestone in his comeback. The 34-year-old Chinese player has received a main draw wildcard for Europe Smash Sweden 2026 in Malmö, marking his first appearance at a WTT Grand Smash event since returning to competitive table tennis.

Fang stepped away from international competition six years ago after a decorated career that included a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships and team gold at the World Team Championships. Since returning earlier this year, he has competed at WTT Contender Zagreb and WTT Star Contender Ljubljana, showing encouraging signs despite exiting in the qualifying rounds.

The experienced Chinese player admitted that rebuilding his fitness after years away from the sport has been challenging, but believes regular competition will help him regain his best form. Europe Smash Sweden now offers Fang his biggest opportunity yet to earn valuable ranking points and continue one of table tennis' most anticipated comeback stories.

Alexis Lebrun Reaches WTT Brazil Quarterfinals as Fang Bo Eyes Sweden Smash Return

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics