Simon Gauzy stuns Tomokazu Harimoto

Third seed Tomokazu Harimoto suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Frenchman Simon Gauzy, ranked No. 31 in the world, in the men's singles first round of the WTT Champions Montpellier, missing out on a place in the last 16.

Harimoto had never lost to Gauzy before, but the home favourite came out firing and played aggressively throughout. Gauzy edged a tight opening game 15-13 before taking the next two 11-7 and 11-6 to seal a straight-games victory.

After the match, Gauzy said with delight: “I had never beaten him before. Going into the match, I was thinking that if I was ever going to beat him, maybe today would be the day. After losing to him seven or eight times in a row, I’ve finally beaten him for the first time. It feels amazing.”

Gauzy will face either Chinese player Liang Jingkun or Wen Ruibo in the next round, with the all-Chinese showdown scheduled for October 29. The Frenchman said he would be watching their match closely. “I know a lot of people want to see me play Liang Jingkun again, and to be honest, I’m looking forward to it myself. My previous match against him was an unforgettable experience. If I face him again, it will certainly be a great contest. And whoever comes through between the two of them, it’s going to be a top-level match.”