Two out of four pairs in the semi-finals of the male double were French, at the Doha World Championships. There will be no jealous: like Florian Bourrassaud and Esteban Dorr, who had forfeited, Félix and Alexis Lebrun will win a bronze medal. The Hérault duo lost Saturday evening in four rounds after a nice fight against the Taiwanese pair made up of Kao Cheng-Je and Lin Yun-Ju (11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10).
Sixth heads, the French opponents took advantage of their complementarity to take the ascendant at the start of the match. Lin Yun-ju, which is already part of the world gratin in simple, posed serious problems for the Habs thanks to his gaucher game. The French therefore ran after the scoring in the first round. Returning to 8-8, however, they collected three points (11-8) during which the game speed clearly was lacking.
Well returned from the break after the loss of the first set, they quickly led 4-1, before sinking in the face of the complementarity of the Taiwanese, bleeding in attack and rarely faulty in the defensive phase. A missed service of Alexis Lebrun in the middle of the set has translated the discomfort of the French duo, while on the other side of the table, the offensive blows rained until the second round gain (11-7).
A beautiful reaction
There was no longer the right to make mistakes for the Lebrun brothers, who did not lose their means under pressure. From the first point, won at the end of a big battle, the French went on the assault by offering less strike angle to their opponents. Searching for the central area of the table, they managed to return the dynamics and dug their advantage up to 9-4. Five points later, everything had to be done again: impressive, the Taiwanese pair had filled its delay. The Lebrun did not dismantle themselves and managed after two superb points to win the set (11-9).
The fourth round did not resist a certain tension, Palpble especially when Alexis Lebrun chained two services Let to be delivered. The French hit the decisive round, leading to 9-6; But a final stroke of warmth by the Taiwanese, more unpredictable on the whole of this semi-final, finally overthrew the scoring (12-10). Kao and Lin rushes in the final, the Lebrun brothers bring together a new international medal to the French table tennis team. Surely not the last.
