In the round of 16 of the WTT Champions in Montpellier, Félix Lebrun was able to take an early vacation. But bad luck for us, rest doesn't exist with him.
The WTT Champions of Montpellier brings together the 32 best table tennis players in the world. But if we focus on this tournament, it is because it takes place at the house of the Lebrun brothers. And it has a very special flavor for them, and therefore for us. Imagining seeing them lose at home could perhaps erase our disappointment at the European Championships, and again.
Félix Lebrun gives us Peng on the board
In the round of 16, Félix Lebrun faced the Chinese Xiang Peng. A very complicated draw for the Montpellier player, but from the first set, we understand that Chinese or not Chinese, Félix is at home. The Frenchman pulverizes the Taizhou native with a score of 11-3 in five tiny minutes. The real strength of Lebrun is to make a match very, very long for us, even though it is expeditious.
If we hope for a reaction from the Chinese in the second round, we can stick the racket handle in our eye. Indeed, Félix does not share any of the first three points (3-0), but he does not lack panache despite his young age, and decides to score a quality 7-1 in front of his family. If he screws up a set point because the net knocks his ball out (there's nothing more annoying in ping), he doesn't miss his chance twice (12-10). Lebrun leads two sets to nothing, the evening begins to become interminable.
The third round gives us a little more color, with a festival of mistakes from Montpellier (5-11). But our deadline is only a matter of time. The fourth set is a slow descent into hell; Lebrun leads 9-3, but aware that he is ruining all the suspense, he takes care to bring himself back to 9-7. From then on, our hope resurfaces, before being showered once again (11-7).
And if that wasn't enough, he could face his brother Alexis in the quarter-finals. Or a Lebrun automatically qualified for the semi-finals. It’s relentlessness at that level.
