The season-ending event, featuring a record prize pool of US$1.3 million, is scheduled for December 10–14 at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Truls Möregårdh of Sweden is one of the biggest names to watch.
The Swedish sensation made history earlier this year as the first European player to claim a title at a WTT Grand Smash tournament, which is similar to winning a Grand Slam in tennis.
His standout achievements also include winning silver in men’s singles competition at the Paris Olympics last year — where he famously defeated World No.1 Wang Chuqin of China during his run to the final.
“I think I was very motivated this year to continue to show that I belong in the top,” Möregårdh said.
“After the Paris Olympics, I think many people thought and spoke about that it was a one-time thing and it was one very good tournament, but I wanted to show that I can maintain this level all year long and that was my motivation this year.”
The World No. 4 last competed in the SAR in 2019, when he was defeated by China’s Liang Jingkun in the round of 32 of the Hong Kong Open.
“I have many good memories and it was such a good tournament with really high-quality players, and I managed to qualify into the main draw,” he recalled.
“I was very young trying to make a statement. And after that tournament, I went on to be top 100 in the world.”
The 23-year-old said it would be fun to have a re-match with Liang, who also qualified for the year-end event.
“I remember that match since it was the first time I played one of the really, really good players in the world and I was very excited. And he really showed what level I need to reach to become good in table tennis, so why not [have a re-match]?” he said.
Also joining Möregårdh at the season finale is France’s rising star, Félix Lebrun, who will be competing in Hong Kong for the first time in his career.
The 19-year-old had a breakout season in 2025, building on his two bronze medals from the Paris Olympics.
He claimed a pair of WTT titles, the French national championship, while making a historic run to the singles final at China Smash as the first French player to do so.
The French sensation said he had skipped tournaments for a month before heading to Beijing to focus on regaining his touch with his dominant backhand.
“I made four weeks of training camp. We’re working on my backhand again… There are some matches where I feel that my backhand wasn’t here. So we’ve turned our training a little bit to focus on my strong point, to go into tournaments with confidence,” he said.
Félix said he was particularly looking forward to a potential matchup against Wang, the only player in the WTT finals he has never beaten.
The two-time European champion’s older brother, Alexis Lebrun, also qualified for the finals this year, marking the second year in a row that the siblings have both advanced to the event.
The younger Lebrun said it’s good to have someone close by to compete at a high level together.
“It’s helping for the mentality. We spend a lot of time together. We travel together. We’re always far from our family and friends. But we can have a good time together,” he said.
“And second, it’s really important for the practice because he’s, of course, my favourite practice partner. I think every two days we practice together, so we know each other perfectly. We can help each other. And I think it’s a really healthy rivalry.”
The WTT Finals features the top 16 men and women in the singles events.
As for mixed doubles, the top seven pairs — including local duo Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem — have qualified.
The SAR is awarded one additional wild card spot as the host city.
