The European Grand Smash in Malmö, Sweden, opened on Monday, August 10, 2026, delivering a mixed opening day for representatives of the Garde du Vœu Hennebont TT club, according to local reports. While Simon Gauzy bowed out in the opening round, club teammates Qihao and Ruibo successfully advanced through their initial matches.
Simon Gauzy Suffers Early Exit Against Yukiya Uda
Simon Gauzy’s campaign at the European Grand Smash came to an abrupt halt on Monday. The 31-year-old French table tennis player from Toulouse faced Japan’s Yukiya Uda in his opening-round fixture and fell in four sets, recording a 3-1 defeat with set scores of 12-10, 11-5, 12-14, and 11-6, as reported by Le Télégramme. Gauzy held three match points in the third set before Uda mounted a comeback to alter the momentum of the match.
Reports indicate that Gauzy entered the Malmö tournament with roughly 700 ranking points to defend.
Mixed Fortunes for the Hennebont Clan and French Delegation
Gauzy was not the only French representative to face a difficult start in Sweden. Flavien Coton exited the competition in the preliminary rounds following a straight-sets defeat (0-3) against South Korea’s Park. Meanwhile, Lilian Bardet bowed out after dropping a 1-3 decision to Wen Ruibo, a fellow player representing the GVHTT club.
Despite the early setbacks for Gauzy, Coton, and Bardet, the wider Hennebont contingent enjoyed success through its Chinese roster additions. Both Qihao and Wen Ruibo navigated past their respective opening hurdles to secure their places in the next stage of the tournament. Attention across the French camp now turns toward the remaining contenders, with the Lebrun brothers scheduled to begin their tournament campaigns on Tuesday.
Context from Recent International Competition
Earlier in the month at the WTT Champions event in Yokohama, Japan, the French player suffered a straight-sets defeat (11-5, 12-10, 11-2) in the round of 32 against 21-year-old Chinese competitor Chen Yuanyu, who held the 29th spot in the global rankings at the time compared to Gauzy’s 19th position, according to Équipe France.
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