Félix Lebrun wins European table tennis singles and doubles titles

Félix Lebrun, the world number two, became European table tennis champion on Sunday 18 October in Slovenia, beating Sweden’s Anton Kallberg 4-3 in the singles final. The title completes a double, as he had won the men’s doubles alongside his older brother Alexis the day before, at the end of what RFI calls a fine week for France.

What happened

According to RFI, which reported the result with AFP, the final went the full seven games. Kallberg, ranked 29th in the world, made the better start and took the opening game 11-7. Lebrun levelled at 11-9 and edged the third 13-11. The Swede then won the fourth and fifth, 11-8 and 11-9, leaving the Frenchman one game from defeat. Lebrun took the sixth 11-6 and finished the match with an 11-1 deciding game that RFI described as brilliant.

RFI reports that Lebrun was often under pressure in the final, as he had been earlier the same day in his semi-final against fellow Frenchman Léo De Nodrest. He did not crack mentally, helped by a crowd that RFI says was mostly French. This was his first singles final at the European Championships, and he won it.

The win also continues a family story. Félix succeeds his brother Alexis as European singles champion. RFI notes that, apart from the two brothers, only two other French players have won the title: Jacques Secrétin in 1976 and Emmanuel Lebesson in 2016.

The younger Lebrun’s record was already one of the most impressive in French table tennis, according to RFI. He is the reigning French champion for the second year running. He has won two bronze medals at the World Championships, in doubles and in the team event, and he is a European team champion. This summer he also won the Grand Smash in Sweden, one of the sport’s top-level international tournaments.

Two other French players came home with medals. De Nodrest, 26, took bronze after coming through the qualifying rounds. On the way to the semi-finals he beat Darko Jorgic, the world number 12, and then Germany’s Benedikt Duda 4-3 in the quarter-finals. RFI describes his run as more than honourable.

In the women’s draw, 22-year-old Prithika Pavade also won bronze after a painful semi-final defeat. She lost 4-3 to Elizabet Abraamian, a Russian player ranked 39th in the world. Pavade led three times in the match and had a match point to reach the final. In the deciding game she trailed 5-2, then came back after her coach, Patrick Chila, called a time-out. She had the chance to finish it at 10-9, but Abraamian saved the point and won on her own second match point.

Pavade’s medal still has real weight. RFI says it is the first European medal for French women’s table tennis since 2012, and the left-hander’s first singles medal as a senior. Her best result of the week came in the round of 16, when she beat Sabine Winter, the European number one and world number nine.

Why it matters if you live in France

Table tennis, or “ping” as it is often called in France, is having a strong spell, and the Lebrun brothers are at the centre of it. Félix, the younger brother, now holds the European singles title and the doubles title, and RFI says the final confirms his status as world number two. If you are new to the country and want to know which French athletes people are following, his name belongs near the top of the list.

The week was about more than one player. De Nodrest’s run from the qualifying rounds to a medal shows that France has depth behind its biggest stars. For families with children who play at a local club, Pavade’s result may matter most. RFI describes her as a well-known face of French table tennis despite her age, and as a player who had already won titles at youth level. Her bronze ends a long wait for a women’s medal at European level.

The crowd in Slovenia was largely French, RFI reports, which suggests these players now draw supporters willing to travel abroad to watch them. RFI’s report does not say where or how to watch future events, so check the listings from French broadcasters and the national federation for coverage.

What to watch next

For Félix Lebrun, the next step is to defend his world number two ranking now that he holds both European titles and the Grand Smash title from Sweden. RFI notes that two new titles have been added to a record that was already long for a French player in his discipline, and his next appearances will show how far he can push it.

Pavade is the other name to follow. At 22, she has beaten the European number one and won a senior singles medal, and she came within one point of a European final. De Nodrest, meanwhile, has shown that he can beat top-ranked opponents. Whether he can keep that level on the main tour will help decide how deep the French men’s squad really is.

Source: RFI