Thibault Poret pulled off a magnificent comeback in the men\u2019s singles round of 32 at Singapore Smash, coming back from two games down to stun No.10 seed Dang Qiu 12-14, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heading into the tie, in their first ever match-up Poret was looking to advance to the round of 16 for the first time at a Grand Smash. Qiu, on the other hand, had experience on his side, having made it to the quarterfinals of the Singapore Smash at every edition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening games both went in the German Qiu\u2019s favour, although they couldn\u2019t have been closer. Poret was the first to get a foothold in the opening game, taking a 9-6 lead after there was nothing to split the two over the first twelve points. But it was Qiu who got the first game point, only for Poret to save and then miss one of his own. WTT Champions Frankfurt 2025 finalist Qiu needed two more bites of the cherry to get over the line in Game One.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qiu then took the second game before the Frenchman came roaring back, not once falling behind as he levelled the match.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poret has made a fine start to the 2026 season, reaching the men\u2019s singles final of WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 and lifting the men\u2019s doubles crown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That form shone through in the final game, where he was able to put the brakes on a strong start from Qiu, who was leading right up until 7-8. But as the final game reached its crescendo, Poret hit four winners on the bounce to secure his place and close the curtain on Qiu\u2019s exploits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n