At the heart of a season much more contrasted than the previous one, Félix Lebrun's week in Beijing will do him the greatest good, especially if it continues to lengthen. The day after a stunning success against the Chinese Chen Yuanyu, 22nd player in the world, the Frenchman qualified Thursday for the quarter-finals of the Grand Smash in Beijing, the equivalent of a Grand Slam in tennis, thanks to his clear victory over the Romanian Eduard Ionescu (3-0). Félix avenged his brother, Alexis, who fell a little earlier in the week, in the first round, against the same opponent.
The 19-year-old from Montpellier did not hang around, dismissing the Romanian in less than 13 minutes: 11-5, 11-7, 11-1. The two brothers, associated in men's doubles in China, will be engaged again on Thursday and will try to reach the semi-finals by facing the Japanese pair Sora Matsushima and Shunsuke Togami (12 p.m. French). Another Frenchman in the running on Thursday, Flavien Coton will challenge the Chinese Xiang Peng, world No.9, in the round of 16.
