Skegness table tennis star Tom Jarvis is stunned by Desai at Europe Smash
Things did not go as planned for Skegness table tennis ace Tom Jarvis at the Europe Smash event as he was stunned by India's Harmeet Desai in Malmo, Sweden, at the weekend.
Despite being ranked No.43 in the world, Jarvis had to start in the first qualifying round as the event attracted almost all of the world's best players.
With three wins needed to reach the main draw, he got off to a good start as he brushed aside Darius Movileanu of Romania, ranked No 139, 3-0 (11-2, 11-3, 11-9).
That set up a meeting with world No.84 Desai, and it looked as if it was all going smoothly as Jarvis took the first two games and led 3-1 in the third.
However, a stunning run of eight points in a row saw Desai seize the momentum and he never relinquished it, going on to win 3-2 (6-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6).
In the Men's Doubles, Jarvis & Connor Green, a relatively new pairing playing at only their fourth tournament together, were defeated 3-1 (11-5, 13-15, 11-7, 12-10) in the round of 32 by Romanian pair Movileanu & Eduard Ionescu.
Jarvis, 26, is set to compete in a WTT (World Table Tennis) tour event in Bulgaria next month as he continues to seek ranking points to keep him in the frame to qualify for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Part of the England team which won bronze at the ITTF Team World Cup in London in 2018, Jarvis has never competed at the Olympics, despite travelling to both Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021 as a reserve and practice partner.
Raised in Skegness, where he attended Skegness Grammar School, he began his journey in the sport at the age of five before moving to Sweden at the age of 16 to further his chances of playing at the top level.
He won men's Commonwealth team bronze at Birmingham 2022 on his major Games debut and this year won his third national Men’s Singles title. He plays in the German Bundesliga for ASC Grünwettersbach.
Earlier this year, as England’s No.1 he led England's hopes of glory at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals at Wembley Arena.
He helped his side into the last 16 but, after England battled back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2, it was Brazil who eventually reached the quarter-finals with a 3-2 success.
Jarvis reached the last 16 of the Men’s Singles at last year’s ITTF World Championships in Doha, defeating 10th seed and European champion Dang Qiu of Germany on the way.
On the WTT circuit, Tom is still searching for his first title, having reached finals at WTT Feeder Fremont (USA) in 2022 and WTT Feeder Dusseldorf in November 2025.