(L-R) Matteo Scuto and Philippe Hein, Luxembourg's para-athletes; Marc Closset, Coach; Credit: LPC

On Thursday 8 October 2026, the Luxembourg Paralympic Committee (LPC) reported on the performances of Matteo Scuto and Philippe Hein at the ITTF World Para Future Region de Murcia 2026 in Spain on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October 2026, where both athletes competed in Class 10.

According to LPC, the two Luxembourg athletes competed in the group stage against international opponents, including several players among the highest-ranked in the world in their category.

On Tuesday, Philippe Hein (50th in the world rankings) played two group-stage matches. He first faced Spain's Marlon López, currently ranked fifth in the world, and suffered a defeat. He then played against Czech player Jan Muska, ranked 34th in the world, in a particularly closely contested match. Philippe Hein eventually lost 3-2, with his opponent winning the deciding set 11-9. He was therefore eliminated at the end of the group stage.

Matteo Scuto (42nd in the world rankings) first faced Spain's José Manuel Ruiz, ranked twelfth in the world, and suffered a defeat. In his second match, he played Turkey's Mert Caliskan, ranked 74th in the world, and secured a 3-0 victory. This result allowed Matteo Scuto to qualify for the quarter-finals.

On Wednesday, Matteo Scuto faced Marlon López, the world's fifth-ranked player, who had previously played against Philippe Hein in the group stage. The Luxembourg athlete lost 3-0 to the Spaniard, with set scores of 5-11, 4-11 and 4-11. Marlon López subsequently went on to win the Class 10 competition.

Following the tournament, the Luxembourg athletes' new coach, Marc Closset, expressed satisfaction with their performances: "Philippe had a very good tournament despite his two defeats, and I was able to see clear progress in his game. I think both players deserved to reach the quarter-finals. This is a very good sign for the future, and I am also very satisfied with Matteo's performance. It was my first official competition as coach with both players. I really appreciated the playing conditions and greatly enjoyed being here as a coach. It is the beginning of a wonderful adventure."

According to LPC, participation in the ITTF World Para Future Region de Murcia 2026 allowed both Luxembourg athletes to continue their development and gain valuable experience against high-level players on the international stage.