Successful start for the French men's table tennis team. The Blues won this Sunday 3-1 against the Spaniards for their first group match of the European Championships in Zadar in Croatia. A look back at this first day of competition.
Their European Championships meeting was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on table 1 at the Kresimic Cosic Hall in Zadar, Croatia. But the Blues had to wait a bit, finishing warming up in the corridor of the interview area because the French, on table 1, were pushed hard by the Dutch.
Unfortunately Pavade, Lutz and Yuan lost 3-2 for their entry into the running. So, around 1:40 p.m., the French appeared in the room, under the eyes of very few spectators. The atmosphere sounds quite hollow in this enclosure of nearly 8,000 seats where only a few dozen people have taken their places in the stands… A detail which will not prevent the French from performing.
Félix Lebrun, number one player of this French team, is the first to come to the table, opposed to a Spaniard of his age, 19 years old, Daniel Berzosa. “We played each other in the final of the Euro mini Champs when we were 11 years old,” recalls Félix Lebrun, 5th in the world, with a smile.
Despite losing the first set 11-8, the Frenchman then fought back to win the next three sets. “As always, the first matches in a competition, even more so in a big competition, it's not that simple. I was playing a left-hander so there are a little fewer rallies against them. We break free less easily. I had difficulty returning his serve throughout the match, but especially during the first set. In the end, I'm quite happy because even if I lost the first, there weren't any very heated moments. Afterwards, I won the next three quite easily I am. very happy with my first match”, analyzed Felix Lebrun.
Alexis Lebrun convincing
France therefore leads 1-0 in this first group match. Make way for big brother, Alexis Lebrun, 22 years old. Lacking matches and results in recent weeks, due to his return to competition after an operation to remove a plaque on his finger, Alexis wanted to do well. Facing him, Alvaro Robles, an experienced 34-year-old player.
Victory for Alexis without trembling, 3 sets to 0. “I was waiting a little bit for this benchmark match since the restart. I had also established my strategy to achieve the best in the European Championships, so very happy that this match is happening now. Afterwards, I will have to manage to surf it well to keep this good dynamic and string together good matches”, summarizes the Frenchman, 12th in the world. “He was very convincing. Very happy with the match he produced. Frankly, he had a very well-run match. Once again, I'm really talking in terms of ping, technically, what he produced. It was really interesting. Behind, he managed to develop his power play, his variations, it was really good”, analyzes Nathanaël Molin, coach of this French team.
Quickly, therefore, the Blues lead 2-0 against Spain. In his team composition for this first meeting, Molin lined up Simon Gauzy as third man. Complicated match for Gauzy, pushed hard by Juan Perez, 23 years old. “As is often the case when I play my first matches in these kinds of conditions, I'm rarely good. Unfortunately, I expected that and that's what happened. I'll have to practice quite a bit to get used to the conditions as best as possible,” explains Simon Gauzy. He lost three sets to two and allowed Spain to return to 2-1. “I lacked a bit of aggressiveness, in general, to express my emotions a little bit. I didn't succeed, I wasn't comfortable, I made a lot of precision errors, so that didn't allow me to get into the mood for the match,” Gauzy analyzes hotly.
Important to show our level
To finish the work, Félix Lebrun returned to the table. This time, against Alvaro Robles, the Spanish dean. While Félix had the first two sets in his pocket, his opponent was manipulated, before giving up at the start of the third round. A special end to the meeting but one that suits the French.
“There, we lost a match today, but for them to go for three, it's not easy. In any case, they start the match, I think, by saying to themselves: 'How are we going to manage to get three points?' We have to make people feel this feeling throughout the competition. It’s also important to show our level. That's going to be the objective, quite simply. Afterwards, there are other very strong teams in the competition. But in any case, in the group stage, I think we are favorites in our two matches. This is what we must try to show,” insists Félix Lebrun. This Monday, for their second group match, the French will face the Hungarians, from 1 p.m.
