No revenge for Félix Lebrun. Severely defeated by Wang Chuqin in the final of the World Team Championships on February 25, the French table tennis player lost again to his rival this Saturday in the semi-finals of the Grand Smash of Singapore (11-2, 7-11 , 11-4, 11-6, 11-8).
First European to reach the final four of this tournament which represents the equivalent of a Grand Slam in tennis, the Montpellier native did not manage to bring down the man who is now his pet peeve, Wang having beaten him three times out of three this season.
𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 🏓
Faced with an immense Wang Chuqin, Félix tried everything but ended up losing (1-4).
Congratulations again for your magnificent journey 🙌
📸 Rémy Gros pic.twitter.com/Q8r7Cq6gBD
— French Table Tennis Federation (@ffttofficiel) March 16, 2024
Uncomfortable with the left-handed game and the Chinese’s serve, the 17-year-old table tennis player completely missed the start of the match. Quickly leading the score, he had all the difficulty in the world settling into the rally, playing far too short against an opponent with full confidence.
Beaten without winning a single round in the final of the Worlds, Lebrun this time knew how to adapt tactically by avoiding the overpowering forehand of the world number two. Combative and not hesitating to encourage himself after his points, Lebrun managed to get back to a set everywhere thanks to two exceptional setbacks (11-7).
Lebrun will enter the top 5
But while he seemed to gain the upper hand in the third set, the little genius of French table tennis lost the thread after an “air shot” at 3-3, before losing eight of the next nine points (4-11) . Dominated, the protégé of Nathanaël Molin did not manage to reverse the trend in a fourth set controlled by the Chinese (6-11) before trying everything for all in the final round. More aggressive on the backhand, the Frenchman made a small difference (5-3) before collapsing, frustrated by his errors (8-11).
In search of revenge, Félix Lebrun will have to wait to triumph over Wang, who will regain first place in the world rankings on Monday before challenging his compatriot Liang Jingkun in the final. For his part, the Frenchman will be able to console himself by entering the top 5 in the world, in 5th place, for the first time in his career. And he has a little more than four months left to get closer to the level of the Chinese with a view to the Paris Olympic Games.
