The young Frenchman has already gotten his fans used to consistent world-class performances, and Lebrun’s game in Malmö was another example of that. The 19-year-old Team France star secured two gold medals in Sweden, becoming a WTT Europe Smash winner in both the singles and doubles events. It is already the sixth Pro Tour title of his career, and Lebrun continues to climb higher on the list of the most successful Pro Tour players.
The Frenchman came just a few steps short of the title at the Singapore and USA Smash tournaments, winning bronze at both. The Europe Smash in Sweden finally broke this spell, as Lebrun excelled individually as well as alongside his elder brother, Alexis, in the doubles event.
On the way to the title, the youngest of the Lebrun brothers dropped just three sets in six matches, and that’s what you call a truly dominant performance. He won 4-1 against Hugo Calderano, 4-0 against Darko Jorgic, and 4-1 in the final against Japanese star Tomokazu Harimoto. This, however, meant that neutral fans did not get much intrigue from the final matchup.
Harimoto had a more challenging path to the final, struggling in matches against his Japanese teammates. He barely got past Shunsuke Togami in the Round of 16, winning the match 3-2. In the semifinal, Harimoto faced the reigning two-time Japanese champion, Sora Matsushima. The latter took the lead several times during the match, but Harimoto managed to turn the match around and secure his place in the final after a hard-fought seven-set match.
Besides Felix Lebrun, an excellent storyline was the performance of Swedish international Elias Ranefur, who made it to the quarterfinals, ending his tournament after an amazing matchup against Sora Matsushima. It was by far the most intense and dramatic match of the tournament. Ranefur, who entered Europe Smash as a Wild Card, was able to sustain seven sets of world-class table tennis, barely losing in the seventh set.
Ranefur’s rise to the top has been one of the most interesting storylines of this year. After some stellar performances at the 2026 World Table Tennis Championships as part of Team Sweden, Ranefur continues to impress on the Pro Tour, proving to be a true headache even for the best players in the world right now. The Swede is the definition of a late bloomer and a great example of how some players find their best performances late in their careers.
In the women’s singles event, the Chinese international Wang Manyu enjoyed a great run, winning the final against Wang Yidi 4-2. The Europe Smash title is the 12th singles title of Wang Manyu’s career.
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