Félix and Alexis Lebrun fought a huge duel in the final of the WTT Star Contender in Muscat on Saturday afternoon. A performance which validates their presence at the WTT Finals in Hong Kong and says a lot about the level of French table tennis in recent months.
Félix and Alexis Lebrun once again offered us a spectacular final in Muscat, Oman, in Star Contender, third level of competition. Félix, 7th in the world, after leading three sets to zero, won in style and won a fifth title on the circuit. Alexis, for his part, despite the defeat, will return to the Top 10 in the world and, like his brother earlier, secures his place at the WTT Finals in Hong Kong, bringing together the sixteen best players of the season. Both look back on their week for RMC Sport.
Tell us about this final, it was a big fight…
Félix: It was a crazy match. We don't do it on purpose, but every time we play, there are crazy scenarios. It's incredible. I think the level of play was high. And very glad I got out of it in the end because he didn't want to leave it to me. I was always a little ahead, but he was always in contact. Really happy and proud of my tournament in general.
Alexis: I had a blast. It's true that there was perhaps a little less pressure than in the French championships, but it was still an important match. Frankly, a big pleasure. At 3-0, that's what I also told myself that I had to take advantage, because I had succeeded in my competition and there were only positives. I managed to move forward again. It was one of our best matches, it really played out. Glad to have been able to participate in this great match, even if I would have liked to wax it at the end (laughs), but hey, it can't happen all the time.
What made the difference in this match in the end?
Félix: It's hard to say, because I think I dominated. So, I didn't change much about what I was doing. I found that I had the keys to the match in hand. And fortunately for me and unfortunately for him, at the start of the seventh set, I still had three big scratches that he can't counter too much. It allows me to go ahead and relax a little, because he came back little by little. When there are three everywhere, it's Alexis who has the dynamic on his side. And I think it still helped me find a good dynamic to go find this beauty. But I think I still dominated the whole match. So, I'm glad it worked out for me today.
Félix, winning this tournament, what does that represent in your season?
Felix: That means a lot. Each title on the international circuit is very hard to achieve. I am very proud to win a title on the circuit, especially having produced this level of play. I still won all my matches before the final 3-0. This is very, very, very rare in an international tournament. On Alexis, I played at a great level again. And I was still leading 3-0. So, frankly, the production at this tournament was great. And that gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I felt like I was playing well for 2-3 months. It’s nice that it really came to fruition in this tournament.
Alexis, there is certainly a defeat at the end of the week against Félix, but in terms of level of play, what you managed to produce over the week, we imagine that there is a lot of satisfaction?
Alexis: I am very happy with the tournament, even if there is a bit of disappointment at the end. But this is the first time I've really played my best level again. It was a crazy day with matches against Flavien Coton and Félix. I'm super happy with what I produced. My goal was to qualify for the Finals, it’s done. Glad to have gone for it in the right way, very happy with the whole thing.
This semi-final, against Flavien, won in style, a big fight too…
Alexis: I was a little tense. Playing Flavien is not necessarily easy at the beginning. I also wanted to join Félix in the final. Then, I found some solutions, I managed to relax. But I was down 2-0, so it was still hot, and he's a player who plays very, very well anyway. It's not necessarily a style of play that poses more problems for me than another, but as he is very strong, he causes problems for almost everyone, so we had a hell of a match. He also produced a great level of play in this tournament, so I think all three of us can be proud of ourselves.
In these two matches, the semi and the final, against the French, you did not have a coach, is it also important to experience these moments?
Alexis: It’s definitely educational. There, we can see the evolution compared to a few matches before. I managed to really hold on, not to give up, to get back on the right track on my own, so it's certain that behind, when I'm coached, we'll be able to focus on the ping-pong, and there won't have to manage all these side effects which will pollute the tactics and the ping a little, so it's definitely a good step forward.
From a collective point of view, three Frenchmen in the semi-final, what does that say about French table tennis? And three French people qualified for the WTT Finals in Hong Kong…
Felix: It's incredible. Honestly, we have a crazy dynamic. We really have exceptional results. There is growing competition. It remains healthy competition, everyone pushes each other to the top. There, we see that the whole room was filled with French people in Oman. And I think it's not for nothing. This is because the country is developing, growing, whether in results or in notoriety. I have the impression that in any country we go to, the French people who live there come to see us. It’s great for us, for the players, the staff, everyone who works and trains hard for this. And it's great for ping in France.
Alexis: I saw that it hadn't happened since 1999 to have three French people in the Finals. That was the goal with Simon. We said that to each other after Europe. We said to ourselves, we had a great time in Europe, now we're going to go for the qualifier together, that would be cool, so we're going to have a great time in Hong Kong, and we hope to have a big tournament there.
This qualification for the WTT Finals, have you been thinking about it all week?
Alexis: I think that ignoring it is impossible, so we calculate, and we watch the matches of our competitors. We're happy when they lose (laughs), and then we play our matches to the fullest. We know we come for that, so obviously we think about it.
