Hugo Calderano defeats Félix Lebrun at China Smash

Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano defeated world number 2 Félix Lebrun in the quarterfinals of the China Smash 2026 in Beijing. Calderano won the match 4 sets to 1, with scores of 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10, and 11-9.

The victory serves as a significant revenge for Calderano, who had previously lost to Lebrun in the bronze medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympics and in several recent international encounters. The win also prevented Lebrun from ascending to the number one spot in the world rankings.

Calderano’s path to the semifinals included dominant 3-0 victories over Dimitrij Ovtcharov, An Jaehyun, and Patrick Franziska. Following this win, Calderano is set to face Taiwan’s Lin Yun-Ju for a spot in the tournament final.