The women's top seed, Wang Manyu, lost 13-11, 11-8, 11-9 to her teammate Chen Yi on day four of WTT Champions Montpellier, and Félix Lebrun, the men's second seed, was beaten 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 by China's Zhou Qihao.
Neither top seed is left: the men's No 1, Sora Matsushima, went out to Vladimir Sidorenko on Thursday. Lebrun's defeat, in the evening session, also left France without a player in the quarter-finals, after Simon Gauzy lost to Liang Jingkun from two games up at lunchtime.
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Zhou ends the home challenge
Lebrun, the world No 2 and the 2024 champion here, won the first game 11-7. Zhou went 5-0 up in the second and, after Lebrun recovered to 9-9, took it 11-9. From there the Chinese player's backhand took control. Lebrun saved two match points in the fourth game before losing it 11-7, after 27 minutes 4 seconds.
"I feel a lot of sadness, above all for the crowd here," Lebrun said afterwards, according to the French Olympic team's website. He said he had returned serve badly and made poor choices, especially in the second game, and was "disappointed in myself".
Zhou, the 12th seed, plays Germany's Patrick Franziska in the quarter-finals. Franziska beat Sweden's Elias Ranefur 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8.
Gauzy lets a lead slip again
Gauzy, who knocked out Tomokazu Harimoto on Wednesday, won the first two games against Liang 11-9, 11-9. Liang, 30 and ranked 39th, won the third 11-7, took the fourth on extra points, 12-10, and won the fifth 11-8 after 48 minutes 2 seconds. It was the third time this week that a French man had lost from two games up, after Alexis Lebrun and Flavien Coton on Wednesday.
Liang meets South Korea's Jang Woojin in the quarter-finals.
Chen Yi beats the world No 1
Chen, the Asian champion, won the first game against Wang on extra points and the next two 11-8, 11-9 in 27 minutes 44 seconds. Wang, the world No 1, had needed to come from behind in two games to beat Hana Goda on Wednesday. Chen, ranked ninth, plays Japan's Hitomi Sato, who beat Germany's Sabine Winter 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7.
Sun Yingsha, playing only her second match since returning from injury, needed five games to beat South Korea's Shin Yubin 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6. Shin levelled twice, but Sun took the decider 11-6 after 44 minutes 54 seconds. Sun plays Hina Hayata, who beat Romania's Bernadette Szőcs 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6.
Kuai Man and Miwa Harimoto through
Kuai Man led Adriana Diaz by two games after winning the first two 11-4, 11-2. The Puerto Rican, who turns 26 on Saturday, took the next two on extra points, both 12-10, before Kuai won the decider 11-2.
Kuai's quarter-final opponent is Miwa Harimoto, who also went the distance. Harimoto won a long first game 16-14 against Lily Zhang of the US, and Zhang twice levelled before the 18-year-old took the fifth 11-7 after 49 minutes 44 seconds, the longest match of the day.
Calderano and Lin Shidong in straight games
Hugo Calderano, the sixth seed, beat Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 in 22 minutes 45 seconds, the day's quickest match, and plays Sidorenko next. Lin Shidong, the eighth seed, beat South Korea's An Jaehyun 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 and meets the defending champion, Truls Moregard.
Results in full
- Chen Yi (CHN) bt Wang Manyu (CHN) 13-11, 11-8, 11-9
- Lin Shidong (CHN) bt An Jaehyun (KOR) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7
- Sun Yingsha (CHN) bt Shin Yubin (KOR) 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6
- Liang Jingkun (CHN) bt Simon Gauzy (FRA) 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-8
- Miwa Harimoto (JPN) bt Lily Zhang (USA) 16-14, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7
- Patrick Franziska (GER) bt Elias Ranefur (SWE) 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8
- Kuai Man (CHN) bt Adriana Diaz (PUR) 11-4, 11-2, 10-12, 10-12, 11-2
- Hugo Calderano (BRA) bt Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4
- Hina Hayata (JPN) bt Bernadette Szőcs (ROU) 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6
- Zhou Qihao (CHN) bt Félix Lebrun (FRA) 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7
- Hitomi Sato (JPN) bt Sabine Winter (GER) 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7
Quarter-finals
All eight quarter-finals are played on Saturday, as the best of seven games. Wang Yidi plays Chen Xingtong at 11am UK time, Calderano meets Sidorenko at 11.45am and Sun plays Hayata at 12.30pm. In the evening Miwa Harimoto faces Kuai at 5pm and Moregard plays Lin Shidong at 5.45pm. Read the day five preview.
