Chongqing, March 15 -- Rooted for by a noisy Chinese crowd, French Felix Lebrun outlasted Japanese Sora Matsushima 4-3 at the WTT Champions Chongqing tournament on Sunday.
The world's sixth-ranked Lebrun came from 1-3 down to snatch three straight sets in the same score of 11-6, winning the semifinal 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6, according to Xinhua.
Most of over 10,000 spectators were cheering for every point won by the Frenchman, who was at one time confused about why he became so popular in Chongqing. One fan explained about Lebrun's sudden fame.
"The Japanese player beat our idol Wang Chuqin," said a teenage fan who asked not to be named. The world No. 1 Wang suffered a stunning quarterfinal loss to Matsushima on Saturda...