Fan too strong for Lebesson

Emmanuel Lebesson will be able to curse the draw. While he got off to a perfect start in the men’s singles tournament in the table tennis events of the Tokyo Olympic Games with a four-set victory over Croatia’s Andrej Gacina, the step was too high in the round of 32. Opposed to the number 1 seed and world number 1 in the ITTF Zhendong Fan rankings, Emmanuel Lebesson lost heavily. From the first exchanges, the Chinese imposed his game, leaving only three points to the French. A scenario which, unfortunately for the French number 2, recurred in each of the four rounds for a meeting dispatched in 24 short minutes by Zhendong Fan (11-3, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4).

???????? Our table tennis player Emmanuel Lebesson eliminated in the round of 16 of the singles against the Chinese Zhendong Fan.

Simon Gauzy and Jia Nan Yuan will try to get a place in the eighth from 7:30 am ????#AllezLesBleus #Tokyo2020

– France Team (@EquipeFRA) July 27, 2021

Gauzy secures his place in the eighth then falls on stronger

The tricolor hopes in men’s singles have shifted to Simon Gauzy. The latter left nothing to chance during his match against Dane Jonathan Groth. If he had to work to win the first set, not without a little fright with a slip, the Habs then went for the next two heats to consolidate their domination a little more during this round of 16 of the men’s singles. Led three innings to nothing, Jonathan Groth was unable to respond to the offensives of Simon Gauzy who qualified without a strike (12-10, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 in 37 minutes). For a place in the quarter-finals, the Habs had to do battle with the world number 3 and seed number 2, the Chinese Long Ma. But there was no miracle. Gauzy was eliminated in five sets and 43 minutes: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5. The Chinese notably won 27 points on his service, against 17 for the French.

Yuan bows despite a nice reaction

Jia Nan Yuan will not have the same success in singles as in mixed doubles. The Frenchwoman lost after a good fight in the round of 16 against South Korean Jihee Jeon, seeded number 7. The latter won the first set by a short margin before dominating the Habs in the second. With her back to the wall, Jia Nan Yuan was able to close the gap by winning the third round but Jihee Jeon did not let the Frenchwoman regain her confidence, approaching a round of victory. However, the 14th world was unable to conclude in the fifth and sixth rounds. A return of the vauvert devil that Jia Nan Yuan was unable to complete with a seventh and last one-sided set for Jihee Jeon (12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 8 -11, 11-4 in 1h08 ‘). Unsurprisingly, there will therefore be no French medal in singles during these Olympics. The last chances are now based on the team events.