“I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, it was my mission.” Wang Chuqin's first words after his victory at the Grand Smash in Beijing perfectly sum up the state of mind and the level of play shown by the world number 1 this Sunday. This final, which was a great first for a French table tennis player in a tournament of this scale, was a real ordeal for Félix Lebrun, overwhelmed by the aggressiveness of his opponent. For a clear result: a quick defeat, in four sets passed at lightning speed as the Chinese did not let anything slip (11-7, 11-2, 11-5 and 11-7).
Félix Lebrun totally overwhelmed by the event
His first two lost serves to start the match may not have helped. The scale of the event also seemed to cut him off. Whatever the case, Félix Lebrun never managed to impose or settle down his game, quickly taken by the throat by the accelerations of his opponent, who stored up a nice dose of confidence during the first set (11-7) before raising his level of play a little more during a quick second round (11-2).
With his head underwater, Félix Lebrun tried to vary his serves and his returns, but everything seemed wasted effort. The third set, concluded by yet another winning shot from Wang Chuqin, once again passed at lightning speed (5-11). But if Félix Lebrun had a boost of energy in the 4th round, galvanized by the words of his coach during a final timeout, the scenario was already written. The world number 1 more than held his place to crush the young Frenchman (11-7, 11-2, 11-5, 11-7), who had never beaten him in five confrontations.
