Karlsson reached the round of 16 in the men's singles in Slovenia and impressed against Frenchman Alexis Lebrun, despite a sore left arm. The Swede was struggling and trailed 1–3 in sets. But Karlsson fought back, brought the match to life and reduced the deficit to 2–3 with an 11–9 win.
From there, the match became dramatic, and Karlsson had a chance to level the score. But a couple of careless mistakes cost him the chance to advance. Alexis Lebrun secured the victory, winning 4–2 in sets.
Kristian Karlsson will now have to shift his focus to Saturday, when he will play in the European Championship final in men's doubles with Anton Källberg. They will face the top-seeded French star brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun.