Thibault Poret rallies to beat Dang Qiu, reaches Grand Smash last 16

Thibault Poret overturned a two-set deficit to beat Dang Qiu in five sets and reach the Round of 16 at the WTT Singapore Smash. Dang Qiu took the opening sets 14-12 and 11-8, but the 21-year-old Frenchman recovered to win the last three 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 and progress to the last 16 of a Grand Smash for the first time.

The match unfolded as a classic momentum swing. Dang Qiu, who won set one 14-12 and set two 11-8, looked in control early, but Poret tightened his blocking and stepped up his forehand to take sets three and four by identical 11-9 scores and closed out the decider 11-8. The official set-by-set line recorded in match reports reads 12-14, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, reflecting Poret’s comeback from 0-2 to a 3-2 victory.

Poret entered the match as a rising French player aged 21 and, according to L'Équipe, ranked 25th in the world. After the win he told the event microphone: « J'ai fait un énorme retour je suis très fier de moi », s'est félicité Poret au micro de l'organisateur. L'Équipe noted the result marks the first time Poret has qualified for the 8es de finale d'un Grand Smash.

Dang Qiu arrived in Singapore with pedigree and mixed identifiers across sources. An original English match report listed him as the No.10 seed, while L'Équipe and social posts identify him as world No.11 and note his status as European champion 2022. The German left-hander’s early two-set lead reinforced his seeding and ranking credentials before Poret reversed the match.

Sofascore’s event metadata places the match at Infinity Arena on Feb 25, 2026 at 05:45:00 AM UTC as part of the MS R32 schedule for the Singapore Smash. The win moves Poret into the tournament’s Round of 16, where sources differ on his confirmed opponent: L'Équipe says Poret will face the winner of the Moregård-Groth match, while YouTube playlist metadata includes an item titled "Truls Moregard vs Thibault Poret | MS R16 | Singapore ..." in its R16 lineup.

Poret’s victory also bolsters the French contingent in Singapore. L'Équipe reports that "il y aura donc au moins trois Français à ce stade" because Flavien Coton and Félix Lebrun are already qualified and are scheduled to play each other. L'Équipe adds Alexis Lebrun plays his Round of 32 match against Patrick Franziska Wednesday at 13 h 20 on L'Équipe live; a YouTube entry lists "FULL MATCH | Alexis Lebrun vs Patrick Franziska | MS R32 | #WTTSingapore2026" in the event playlist.

Social reaction captured the shock and joy around Poret’s comeback. Instagram posted: "Unbelievable scenes! Thibault Poret didn't just eliminate Dang Qiu but he stormed back from two sets down to knock out the World No. 11 ..." and a Facebook comment read: "What a come back, was 0-2down, from there he made it 2-2 and finished the score line 3-2 ultimately. ... Now let's start a MATCH 6 of Round of 16"

The win was described in an English match summary as "a watershed moment for the 21-year-old," and Poret now prepares for the Round of 16 as he bids to turn his first Grand Smash last 16 appearance into a deeper run.