On a Sunday afternoon in Malmö, Félix Lebrun became the first French player to win a WTT Grand Smash. The 19-year-old from Montpellier defeated Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto 4-1 to claim the men’s singles title at the Europe Smash.
A fast start and a well-timed pause
Lebrun took the opening set 11-5 and controlled the second. Harimoto closed a 10-6 gap to 10-8, forcing Lebrun to call a timeout. He returned to serve and closed the set 11-8. Harimoto took the third 5-11, but Lebrun held firm through two tight 11-9 sets to finish the match.
Two trophies and a first for France
A day earlier, Lebrun and his brother Alexis won the men’s doubles title. It was their second Grand Smash doubles crown together. The singles final also gave Félix a chance to avenge his brother’s semi-final loss to Harimoto, a detail that sharpened the victory.
The Grand Smash is table tennis’s top tier. Lebrun had lost his only previous Grand Smash final in China the year before. This time, against an opponent who had won a Champions event a week earlier but was worn down by a long semi-final, he turned that record around.
A pattern repeated on a bigger stage
Lebrun had beaten Harimoto by the same 4-1 score at the 2024 WTT Champions Montpellier. His earlier major wins include the 2023 European Games and the 2024 WTT Star Contender Goa. The Malmö title extends a pattern rather than starting one.
The arena in Sweden held two Lebrun trophies by the end of the weekend. Only one of them rewrote the French record books.
