MONTREUX, Switzerland, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- France's Alexis Lebrun and Germany's Han Ying respectively claimed men's and women's singles titles at table tennis' European Top 16 Cup on Sunday.
Lebrun triumphed over Slovenia's Darko Jorgic with scores of 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, and 11-9, earning his first title in this annual event. Both Lebrun and Jorgic qualified for the 2025 World Cup in Macao, along with Germany's Patrick Franziska and Sweden's Truls Moregaard, who shared third place.
In the women's final, Han secured victory against Romania's Elizabeta Samara with scores of 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, and 11-4. Germany's Shan Xiaona and Sabine Winter also earned bronze medals, securing their spots for the World Cup in April.
Lebrun's younger brother, top seed Felix, faced an upset in the quarterfinals, losing 3-2 to Franziska. However, Alexis exacted revenge in the semifinals, defeating Franziska to set up the final against Jorgic.
The world No. 10 ranked Frenchman maintained his composure, displaying better precision on crucial points in a tightly contested match.
Han, 41, who won titles at this event in 2022 and 2023, missed the 2024 edition due to injury but made a strong comeback this year to breeze into the final. Despite a brave effort from the 36-year-old Samara, who came from 2-0 down to level the match at 2-2, Han's world-class defensive skills ultimately led her to victory, securing her third title in four years at this event. Enditem
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