International Events | 27 Oct 2024

MONTPELLIER ERUPTS AS FELIX LEBRUN CAPTURE WTT CHAMPIONS TITLE

A full house at Sud de France ARENA witnessed the grand finale of WTT Champions Montpellier 2024, as fans roared on the world's top table tennis stars to crown two new champions. Satsuki ODO emerged victorious in the Women's Singles, while Felix LEBRUN stormed through to clinch the Men's Singles title, each taking home USD 30,000 and 1000 ITTF World Ranking points. This event marked a historic week for table tennis in France, with over 41,500 fans filling the Infinity Arena.

The Men's Singles semifinals saw hometown favourite Felix LEBRUN (FRA) ignite the crowd with an epic 4-0 win over LIN Shidong (CHN). Lebrun, backed by roaring local support, put a halt to LIN'S 19-match win streak on the WTT Series with a sensational performance that ended in Sud de France ARENA erupting in celebration (14-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3). Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) secured the remaining slot in the final after weathering a spirited challenge from Benedikt DUDA (GER), eventually sealing his victory in six hard-fought games (11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8).

LEBRUN rose to the occasion on Sunday, securing his first WTT Champions title with a powerful 4-1 display against HARIMOTO (11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4). Riding high on the energy from his home crowd, the 18-year-old dominated from the start, putting his relentless precision and quick-fire offense on full display. Taking the opening three games, LEBRUN weathered a fourth-game comeback from HARIMOTO but reasserted his momentum to seal victory in the fifth.

This win adds to a banner year for LEBRUN, who has already claimed two WTT Series singles titles, including his first WTT Star Contender title this season in Goa. Currently holding his career-best World No.5 ranking as of Week 40, LEBRUN continues to position himself as a dominant force in international table tennis.