(by Steve Hopkins)

At 17 years old, France’s young penholder, Felix Lebrun, continues to surprise.  In this latest edition, Felix maneuvered through a strong draw at the WTT Contender series event in Antalya, Turkey – including wins over World No. 4 Hugo Calderano and World No. 9 Dimitrij Ovtcharov. The win provides Felix with 600 ranking points, and should send him flying up the Ranking List inside the Top 10.  Ovtcharov, his victim in the Final, also had a solid showing, and he will likely also be between No. 8 and No. 10 in the next rankings.

The final (see below) was epic.  The two battled through seven games with Lebrun securing the final game 12-10.  The match likely turned on the third and fourth games – both marathon games, and both going to Lebrun.  Final scores were 11-4, 5-11, 15-13, 14-12, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10.  Ovtcharov varied his serves and tactics throughout.  Lebrun was able to win most of the powerful exchanges.  Both players moved well, started points carefully, and then played powerful full swings from both sides.  Through the seven games, the two players scored almost the same number of points.  A tightly contested match that could have gone either way – a true Turkish Delight for the fans.

Women’s singles went to Hina Hayata.  Women’s doubles went to Paranang and Sawettabut.  Men’s Doubles went to Lim and An.  And Mixed Doubles went to Harimoto and Hayata.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTuNj4o7718