Alexis Lebrun vs Lin Shidong | Extended Highlights | MS R16 | #USSmash 2026

Here we go, Lin Shidong to start off the best of five, love all. There's the power. Table popped up just enough. In my opinion, and he might come out on top, but he let it go. Lin Shidong. It'd be rare to have that type of dispute this early in the match. It has been recorded and as such. Chop blocks. Three to two, Shidong to serve. Three, three. And he's got great hands, but that one's short. Just from a safety standpoint. Lots of power, lots of feeling. It's tough to imagine anything with even higher standards. Beautiful counter. Take out the defending champion. Speed on it. Look how much body he puts into that. The arm just feels that looseness. The power comes from the ground up. Stowed. This is a very smart play. Almost deja vu, but it's still in play. From fishing to countering. The exchange goes up and it gets points apiece. Levels the playing field. Giving the ball back to Alexi to serve on 10-8. Would definitely not make the camp happy. Short side of the table. Shidong changed it up and again. Alexi, that ball there felt like it would have been enough. And has game point on the serve. A game of hot potato and he secures. He's 1-0 up against the last Chinese man standing. Several spots waiting. What a turn. Shot block right there waiting. Controls and Alexi to Anders. The power, the twist. He gets so much win at number one. And he knows the receive game well. Lin Shidong is saying, man, it's a rainy day over here. He'll be very interested in the mixed doubles event. Kick serve finds the edge. Just found the edge of the opponent's racket. It's rare that it's not a kick serve when that happens. What did he do? Top 10 in the world. Wow. He looked unstoppable against Liang Jingkun in London. Get a three-point lead, but that has got to hurt the other side. Edge of the racket. That is some spin generation. He's getting close to one now. Back from the time out. Let's see how it pays off. But it is definitely not taken for granted. From grunt to grunt becomes a chole. He sets up a trio of game points. Just deep. Lin Shidong's side. Third game point. I need some tea and honey. I don't know about you. Chop block followed up on the backhand. Imagine if that hit is like, whatever, don't touch me. Time out on Lin Shidong's side. I think 4 p.m. local time in Singapore on Monday. Maybe he was studying. Best players in France right now. Two in a row here for Lin Shidong. It's now or never. It's a must-win every game for the rest of this match for Shidong. They'll have another chance, but who knows where Team China will be then. This was like Truls and Lin Shidong in the final of last year's Europe Smash. Match point, except playing the role of Lin Shidong. Six to three. Devastating defense. Twenty-one shots in that. In this one, London hurt for Alexi. At least on the men's side. Come back here for Lin Shidong. Extra big. And it gets him a three-point lead. And it is four. Oh, what Alexi was as bold. Big serves to come. Finishing shot. To beat a former world number one, he has taken down the last Chinese man standing. Puts it back in the compressor, the racket, so that the rubber stays flat to the blade. Man, was that a performance. And he knows what Lin Shidong is capable of. So to not let Lin Shidong come back was really tough. 11-9, 11-9, 11-8. And this is one more of those career-defining victories to send him into the quarterfinals.