Alexis and Félix Lebrun qualified on Friday for the doubles final of the WTT circuit finals in Fukuoka, Japan. The two stars of French table tennis dominated their compatriots Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud.
The magic continues for the Lebrun brothers. Stars of the Olympic Games this summer, notably with a bronze medal in singles for Félix and another medal for the duo in doubles in Paris, the two brothers continue to be talked about. Friday in Fukuoka, Japan, Alexis and Félix reached the doubles final of the WTT circuit finals. They dominated, in three sets, the other French pair, made up of Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud (12-10, 11-6, 11-3).
Faced with two friends they know by heart, since they also train in Montpellier, Alexis and Félix were largely dominant. Despite their lack of freshness due to an exceptional but grueling season, marked by the Olympic podiums, they left no chance for the world No.11 pair, made up of two players above 100th place in the individual ranking (12 -10, 11-6, 11-3).
A competition that brings together the best table tennis players of the year
The world No.2 and European doubles champions will face each other on Saturday in the final of this competition which brings together the best table tennis players of the year during the final meeting of the season, with the winners of the second semi-final opposing each other in evening the Japanese Shunsuke Togami and Hiroto Shinozuka, world No.6, to the Singaporeans Pang Koen and Quek Izaac (N.10).
“Never easy to play against partners and friends, but today we played well”rejoiced Alexis, concluding with a “Arigato” (editor’s note: «Merci» in Japanese) which pleased the local public waving fans bearing their image.
Individually, the Lebrun brothers did not shine
Individually, the week came to an end for the new stars of French table tennis, eliminated as soon as they entered the competition in the round of 16. Félix, the youngest, 18 years old and world No.4, was beaten on Wednesday by the German Benedikt Duda (3-2) followed 24 hours later by Alexis, 21 years old and world No.14, logically dominated by the No.2 world and big favorite of the tournament, the Chinese Lin Shidong (3-1).
The WTT Finals are the equivalent of the tennis Masters and bring together the 16 best players of the season, in singles and doubles. Among the men, two Chinese big names are simply missing, the double Olympic champion (in singles and teams) Fan Zhendong, and Ma Long, 36 years old, six-time gold medalist (including the team title in 2024).
For French table tennis in general, and the Lebrun brothers in particular, the year was rich, beyond the Paris Olympics and the bronze medals gleaned by Félix Lebrun in singles and by the French team (Simon Gauzy, Félix and Alexis Lebrun). The post-Olympic sequence was just as successful, with two European champion titles — in singles for Alexis Lebrun and in doubles — before the cadet's victory at the end of October at the WTT Champions in Montpellier, where they also play as a club. .
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