WTT Champions Montpellier 2026: Jang Woojin fights back to beat Franziska as Sun Yingsha wins women's title

WTT Champions Montpellier ended on Sunday 1 November with two finals that could hardly have been more different. South Korea's Jang Woojin produced a remarkable comeback to beat Germany's Patrick Franziska 4-3 in the men's singles, while China's Sun Yingsha recovered from losing the opening game to beat compatriot Kuai Man 4-1 for the women's title. For Malaysian fans, the finals played out on Sunday evening in France, which was late Sunday night into the early hours of Monday in Malaysia.

Jang turns the men's final around

Franziska looked in control for most of the men's final. The German won three of the first four games to lead 3-1, leaving him one game from the biggest title of his career. Jang then reeled off three games in a row, taking the fifth 11-9 and the sixth 11-8 to force a decider.

The seventh game was level on several occasions. Jang moved ahead 6-4, Franziska pulled back to 8-8, and the Korean then closed it out 11-8 with a late run of winners. Butterfly, the equipment maker that covered the event, described it as his first ever WTT Champions title, and noted that neither finalist had previously won an event at this level.

Two seven-game semi-finals

Both men's semi-finals went the distance. Jang edged Brazil's Hugo Calderano 4-3, winning a nerve-shredding seventh game 14-12 after Calderano had saved match points at 10-8. Franziska, meanwhile, beat defending champion Truls Moregard of Sweden 4-3, taking the deciding game 11-6 after leading 5-1 early in it.

The Chinese men had already gone out by the quarter-final stage on Saturday. Moregard beat Lin Shidong 4-3, Franziska beat Zhou Qihao in seven games and Jang beat Liang Jingkun 4-1, leaving a final four with no Chinese player in it.

Sun Yingsha survives a semi-final scare

The women's draw was an all-Chinese affair from the semi-finals onwards. Sun's toughest test came in the last four against Wang Yidi, who won the 2025 title in Montpellier. Sun led 3-0 before Wang won three straight games, the sixth 14-12, to level the match. Sun then dominated the decider, winning it 11-2.

In the other semi-final, Kuai Man beat Chen Yi 4-2. In the final, Kuai took the first game 11-8, but Sun won the next four 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 and 11-6 to lift the trophy.

Sun had also needed seven games to beat Japan's Hina Hayata in the quarter-finals, while Kuai beat Miwa Harimoto 4-2 and Chen Yi beat Hitomi Sato 4-0.

What it means

Jang's win is a reminder of how open the men's circuit has become below the very top Chinese players. Franziska, a veteran of the German team, will take positives from beating Moregard but will rue letting a 3-1 lead slip in the final.

On the women's side, the result keeps Sun at the centre of the conversation as the season heads towards its final events. Her ability to win a semi-final in which she lost three games in a row shows why she remains so hard to beat.

Key takeaways

• Jang Woojin beat Patrick Franziska 4-3 after trailing 1-3, winning the last three games 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.
• Jang beat Hugo Calderano 14-12 in the seventh game of their semi-final.
• Franziska knocked out defending champion Truls Moregard 4-3 in the other semi-final.
• Sun Yingsha beat Kuai Man 4-1 in the women's final after beating Wang Yidi 4-3 in the semi-finals.
• No Chinese man reached the men's semi-finals.

FAQ

Who won the men's singles at WTT Champions Montpellier 2026? Jang Woojin of South Korea, who beat Germany's Patrick Franziska 4-3 in the final on 1 November after trailing 3-1 in games.

Who won the women's singles? Sun Yingsha of China, who beat compatriot Kuai Man 4-1 in the final.

Who was the defending men's champion? Truls Moregard of Sweden won in 2025. He lost to Franziska 4-3 in this year's semi-finals.

Sources: Butterfly, China Daily Asia, World Today Journal