crowned in the final of the WTT Finals in Japan, the Lebrun brothers new world number ones in doubles

The year 2024 will go down in the annals of French table Tennis. And the discipline is progressing at full speed in the lineage of its two standards who have become public figures, the brothers Alexis and Félix Lebrun. The two young table tennis players, aged 21 and 18, won against Shunsuke Togami and Hiroto Shinozuka in the final meeting of the WTT (World Table Tennis) circuit finals, in Fukuoka (Japan), Saturday November 23.

Thanks to this coronation obtained against the Japanese, sixth pair in the world, the Lebrun brothers, who were ranked 7^e world ranking before this tournament, dethroned the Chinese Yuan Licen and Xiang Peng at first place in the doubles rankings. A great first for French people. “It’s crazy to win this title, here in Japan, and with my little brother, declared Alexis Lebrun, before thanking the French public present in the room. These are crazy emotions at the end of an equally crazy year. »

Trailing and appearing in difficulty at the start of the first round, Nathanaël Molin's protégés got back on track thanks to a good series, before ceding the first set to their hosts (12-14). Hindered by the speed of the game offered by the Japanese duo, the Lebrun brothers got off to a bad start again, but were able to win the second set (14-12) after being led 8-3, then mastered the third (11-6 ). A turning point, since pushed to a fifth round by the Japanese (7-11), the Blues kept their cool and signed the most prestigious success of their young career.

Eliminated early in the singles tournament, the two brothers qualified for the final thanks to a success in the semi-final against the other Montpellier duo Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud (12-10, 11-6, 11-3 ), present in the stands to support them.

Fallers of another Japanese pair in the quarter-finals, the Tricolores attracted the praise of the local public with a celebration paying tribute to sumo, the flagship sport in Japan. On Saturday, they mimed a “Kamé Hamé Ha”, a combat technique taken from the famous Dragon Ball manga.

The apotheosis of a historic year 2024

The year 2024 was particularly successful for French table tennis, with results well “ beyond expectations », Recently rejoiced trainer Nathanaël Molin, to Agence France-Presse. The young Lebrun brothers were particularly involved in this success.

Félix Lebrun, who will downgrade from 4^e au 5^e world ranking in singles after the tournament, won an individual bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games during the summer. The French team, already a silver medalist at the World Championships in Busan (South Korea) in February, completed its squad with another bronze medal at the Olympics thanks to the two Lebruns and their partner Simon Gauzy.

In October, the two brothers also shone at the European Championships, Alexis Lebrun triumphing in singles before winning in doubles with his brother Félix, who stood out by winning the WTT Champions in Montpellier at the end of October. .

If the competition in Fukuoka put an end to the WTT circuit, the two Lebrun brothers will still play Pro A matches, the national championship, and the Champions League in December, with their Montpellier club. With the WTT circuit resuming in January 2025, the two young men will perhaps take a short break at the start of the year, before preparing for the Individual World Championships in Doha (Qatar), which will take place from May 17 to 25.