Winner of Germany this Saturday in the semi-final of the European team championships in Zadar (Croatia), France can seek a first coronation since 1998. Led by the Lebrun brothers and Simon Gauzy, the Blues want to make history.
There is only one step left. Defeated Germany, one of the favorites for the title (3-1) on Saturday, the French team qualified for the final of the European table tennis team championships in Zadar, Croatia. The Blues – led by the Lebrun brothers and Simon Gauzy – who have not been crowned in the event since 1998, can once again mark the history of the French ping in the event of success against Romania or Slovenia. “Yes, marking the history of our sport, that drives us. The generation, they send us messages all the time, they are super happy for us, all the time. At the games, we shared an extraordinary moment with them, behind, for the medal. Frankly, it's great, they support us, they are always behind, it's super positive like that”, relishes Nathanaël Molin, the French coach.
According to Félix Lebrun, the Blues have “checked” this competition “in the calendar”. “We know that we have a very strong team, we believed in it, we have never been European team champion, well for a long time, not ever, but since then we as a team have never been and it's been a very long time as I said. So it was a goal for everyone and now we are in the final so there remains, as I said, a step to be taken, a big step because it is not going to be easy. We must not think that the other half is less strong than this one, even if on paper it is the case, it is clear. But it's a European final and it can change quickly, so we'll be really careful, we'll try to be as close as possible,” said the fifth player in the world, winner of his two matches this Saturday.
“A final is always different”
However, France had to work hard to qualify. After a smooth start to the competition, Alexis Lebrun was swept away by Benedikt Duda (3-0: 7-11, 9-11, 6-11) even though he had not lost any set in Croatia so far. “We are very happy to have managed to win against this German team which is very strong and I think that if we reproduce the same performance tomorrow, we have a good chance of succeeding in winning but they too are capable of transcending themselves and as a result it could make for a very good match”, underlined the eldest of the Lebrun siblings. I think we showed that we were capable of raising our level of play when the intensity increased and then we will have to continue tomorrow because it is a risk to continue to increase and a final is always different.”
The French team will now have to take a final step on Sunday (5:00 p.m.) to confirm its domination at European level. The “Grand Slam” hoped for by coach Nathanaël Molin is also within his reach. After Alexis Lebrun's titles (in singles and doubles with Félix) in 2024, his victory in the Top 16 this season, and Félix Lebrun's singles title in 2023 at the European Games, the Blues are one match away from winning everything in their path and thus demonstrating their strength of character.
