Hugo Calderano reaches China Smash semifinals after defeating Felix Lebrun

Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano, ranked 7th in the world, has advanced to the semifinals of the China Smash in Beijing after defeating French player Felix Lebrun. Calderano won the match with a comeback victory of 4 sets to 1 (9/11, 11/9, 12/10, 12/10, 11/9).

The win breaks a recent streak of three consecutive victories by Lebrun, who is currently ranked second in the world. This victory is particularly significant as the China Smash is a high-stakes tournament offering 2,000 points to the winner.

Calderano's path to the semifinals included straight-set victories over Dimitrij Ovtcharov, An Jaehyun, and Patrick Franziska. In the semifinals, he is scheduled to face Taiwan's Lin Yun-Ju, the world number 6, who defeated Truls Moregard to secure his spot.