Flavien Coton, Thibault Poret – The Hindu

France has a tradition of producing world-class men’s singles table tennis players. Among the major stars are Jean-Philippe Gatien, the Olympic silver and World Championship gold medalist, while Emmanuel Lebesson and Simon Gauzy have been European champions.

Today, the spotlight is on the Lebrun brothers — Felix (World No. 6) and Alexis (No. 14) — who are rapidly establishing themselves among the world’s elite. Backed by a strong domestic table tennis culture, France continues to nurture emerging talent. And the latest additions to this formidable line-up are Flavien Coton (No. 32) and the 21-year-old Thibault Poret (No. 35).

Last year proved to be a breakthrough for both Coton and Poret as they recorded career-best performances with the city of Chennai playing a pivotal role.

At the WTT Star Contender last March, Coton reached the semifinals, while Poret advanced all the way to the title clash, eventually losing to South Korea’s Oh Junsung.

Coton and Poret are yet to make a deep run this year, and both are banking on the WTT Star Contender, set to begin at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University here on Thursday.

Coton fondly recalls his 2025 campaign.

“It was an amazing year. I started with a world ranking of 109 and finished inside the top-30,” said the 17-year-old, who also became the first Frenchman to win the European u-21 Championships the same year.

“Winning against three top-32 players — Alvaro Robles, Sora Matsushima, and Jonathan Groth — gave me confidence. I had been playing well before, but I couldn’t close out matches.”

For Poret, Chennai holds special memories. “I came here with so much ambition and I reached the final. This year, I hope to win the title,” he said.

Both were part of the French team that won gold at the 2025 European Championships and could make their debut at the World Team Championships in London during April and May.

“We hope to be selected for the Worlds,” said Coton and Poret and they hope Chennai sets the tone for their continued rise on the world stage.

Neha knocks out top seed Syndrela

Neha Kumari, who produced the biggest upset in the women’s WTT Star Contender Qualifiers by knocking out top seed Syndrela Das in the second round, sealed her place in the main draw on Wednesday with a 5-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-7 victory over Naisha Rewaskar in the final round. All the seeded (top-16) players have been handed byes in the opening round of the singles events.

The Qualifiers: Men: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Punit Biswas, Yashansh Malik, Sanil Shetty, Carlo Rossi (Italy), Jash Modi, Mudit Dani, Preyesh Suresh Raj.

Women: Neha Kumari, Amrutha Pushpak, Nithya Mani, Tanishka Kalbhairav, Suhana Saini, Shruti Amrute, Sachi Aoka (Japan), S. Yashini.