USA Shows Fight but Falls to France at World Team Championships

The U.S. men’s team saw their tournament run end in the second stage of the World Team Championships, falling 3–0 to France.

Entering the knockout stage, the Americans understood that they faced a monumental challenge. France, the reigning European Team Champions, were one of four teams, including China, Germany, and Japan, with at least five players ranked inside the world’s top 30 in men’s singles.

The French side was in top form, having won 3-2 against Japan the day prior, but the U.S. showed clear moments of competitiveness in the opening match.

Kanak Jha pushed Flavien Coton to four games. Jha’s craftiness and resilience were on full display, barely missing out on a game five by two points after his comeback was thwarted. Even with the 3-1 result, his match was the most heavily contested for the United States.

He built the largest lead of the match and kept the overall point margin close, but Coton’s raw power and precision were ultimately too much down the stretch.

Coton was still hot from his Match 5 win against Japan the day before. Much of the pressure came on receives, where his quick backhand flicks off short serves prevented Jha from establishing early control in rallies. In their first head-to-head match, the win goes to the rising 18-year-old French player.

Matches 2 and 3 came against established international standouts Félix Lebrun and Simon Gauzy. Although they swept Jishan Liang and Nandan Naresh, these matches offered valuable exposure to top-tier pace that’s difficult to replicate outside major international championships.

Performances like Jha's demonstrate that the squad has the potential to challenge stronger nations as it develops depth and consistency. Overall, the result represents the United States gaining valuable match experience while identifying areas for improvement.