For some table tennis players, playing in a World Table Tennis (WTT) event as a qualifier before bowing out to one of the world’s top few players is a massive accomplishment.
Not for Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse (Men’s Singles No. 103) at the WTT Europe Smash 2025. Qualifying for the men’s singles tournament was just his first step in his quest to topple the best of the best.
Rassenfosse upset China’s Liang Jingkun (Men’s Singles No. 5) in the Round of 32 with a three-game sweep (11-5, 12-10, 11-6). This was the most impressive match of Rassenfosse’s career, a match where the fifth-best player in the world appeared overwhelmed by the qualifier.
“I’m still quite shocked about this result,” Rassenfosse told reporters after the match. “I just tried to focus on my game, being aggressive as much as possible, and I had a few key tactics to try to get some points, some sets, and to try to annoy [Liang], and it worked out pretty well today.”
The Belgian’s onslaught began from the moment this match started, making quick work of the fourth-seeded Liang with an 11-5 victory in their first game. Rassenfosse found himself on the losing side of a 10-9 game point in the second game, but he recovered with three straight points to jump to a 2-0 match lead.
That lead proved insurmountable for Liang, who lost his third straight game against Rassenfosse, 6-11, and left the tournament earlier than many expected.
This tournament was Liang’s first since withdrawing from WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 due to a back injury. The injury appeared to be sustained during a match in the China Table Tennis Super League in late July.
Regardless, Liang’s upset is the latest of an unpredictable men’s singles tournament, which also saw fifth-seeded Félix Lebrun from France (Men’s No. 6) fall to Korea’s Jang Woo-jin (Men’s Singles No. 28) in the Round of 64.
This match continues Rassenfosse’s outstanding run in the WTT Europe Smash 2025. Before facing Liang, the 22-year-old defeated Spain’s Álvaro Robles (Men’s No. 66) and Sweden’s Simon Berglund (Men’s Singles No. 627) to win his qualifying draw, and he took down England’s Liam Pitchford (Men’s Singles No. 51) to make it to the Round of 32.
Rassenfosse advances to the Round of 16, where he will face the winner of France’s Simon Gauzy (Men’s Singles No. 32) and America’s Kanak Jha (Men’s Singles No. 21), which will take place on Tuesday.
*All ITTF rankings are as of Week 34, updated on Aug. 19 2025
