Elias Ranefur survived a five-game epic 12-10, 10-12, 6-11, 11-8, 15-13 against World No.148 Leonardo Ilzuka at the WTT Contender Istanbul, as the Swede looks to secure his second title at this level for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ranefur is the No.3 seed in Istanbul after a breakthrough season on the WTT Series that really started to gather pace in the second half of the year. The 30-year-old had been sporadically competing in events at WTT Feeder level since 2021, with his best performances being runs to the finals at WTT Feeder Manchester 2024 and WTT Feeder Prishtina 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, at the beginning of the year, he made the quarterfinals of WTT Star Contender Chennai, his best performance on the WTT Series until he made it all the way to the final eight of Europe Smash – Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That run took him up to World No.36, and after winning WTT Contender Panagyurishte 2026 and getting his first win at WTT Champions level in Montpellier, he now sits at a career-high World No.27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being one of the favourites to go all the way in Istanbul, Ranefur was given a tough time by the qualifier Ilzuka. Ranefur had to save two Game Points to take Game One, then was denied two Game Points in the second as the Brazilian levelled.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilzuka then hit seven in a row to take the lead in the third, and in the decider, Ilzuka saved three Match Points and dropped one of his own before Ranefur got the win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Staying in the men\u2019s singles main draw, there were a number of upsets, as No.4 seed Chen Yuanyu fell to compatriot Chen Junsong 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 and England\u2019s No.1 player and No.8 seed Tom Jarvis lost in five games to Nikita Artemenko 12-10, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most evenly matched contests of the day saw World No.31 Bruna Takahashi beat World No.33 Kim Nayeong 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brazil’s No. 1 female player, Takahashi, has struggled on the WTT Series in recent months, failing to win a match for nearly four months after reaching the Round of 16 at her home event, WTT Star Contender S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 dos Campos 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That losing streak ended at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2026, when she beat Cheng I-Ching. The 26-year-old will now look to keep her form going in Istanbul, as she meets qualifier Veronika Matiunina in the Round of 16. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, Elina Rahimi has become the first Iranian women\u2019s singles player to make the main draw of a WTT Contender event after she battled through three rounds of qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahimi\u2019s run to the Round of 32 is historic, as she is not only the first woman from her country to do it at this level, but she\u2019s also only the second female player from Iran to make the Main Draw at a WTT Series event, after Neda Shahsavari reached the Round of 32 through qualifying at WTT Star Contender Doha II 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ranked World No.650, Rahimi was the fourth-lowest-ranked player in the Women\u2019s Singles Qualifying Draw. She beat World No.691 Katarina Strazar in the first round 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6 before pulling off a mind-blowing straight-games win over No.6 seed and World No.122 Filippa Bergand 11-6, 11-9, 11-6. The 21-year-old then sealed her spot in the Main Draw with victory over Valeriia Kotsiur 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahimi\u2019s journey marks a landmark moment for Iranian table tennis, and she now has the chance to test her mettle against one of the world’s best players as she faces No. 2 seed and World No. 17 Joo Cheonhui in the Main Draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Men\u2019s Singles qualifying rounds, Norway\u2019s Borgar Haug is through to a WTT Contender Main Draw for the first time in his career after beating former World No.10 Quadri Aruna 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the WTT Series, Haug has made the Main Draw only once before. That was two years ago, when he won two qualifying matches against Thai players at WTT Star Contender Bangkok 2024. He then went on to record his first WTT Series Main Draw win, beating Koen Pang. Haug\u2019s victory over the Singaporean was also the first and only time a Norwegian player has won a WTT Series Main Draw match. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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