Simon Gauzy’s Comeback Wins Wiawis French Tour Title

Simon Gauzy claimed his third Wiawis French Tour championship in a thrilling final at the Paris La Défense Arena, defeating Alexandre Cassin 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 in a match that lasted nearly two hours. The victory capped a season in which Gauzy, ranked No. 4 in France, overcame a slow start to dominate the final stretch of the tournament.

Cassin, the 2023 champion and current French No. 2, led the first two games but faltered under Gauzy’s relentless pace and precision in the decider. “Simon’s forehand loop was just too much to handle today,” Cassin told reporters after the match. “I knew I had to step up my backhand returns, but the pressure got to me in the end.”

Key stat: Gauzy’s 85% serve return rate in the final game—per ITTF’s live scoring system—was the highest of any player in the championship round.

D1 FFTA: Two Teams Face Relegation as Season Ends

The D1 FFTA season concluded with a shake-up in the bottom half of the standings, according to FFTT’s official rankings. TT Club de Lyon and AS Pontoise-Cergy dropped into the relegation zone, finishing with 28 and 29 points respectively, just above the 26-point cutoff for automatic relegation.

Meanwhile, TT Nancy and TT Strasbourg secured their spots in next season’s D1 after finishing in the top half with 38 and 36 points. The top four—TT Nantes, TT Asnières, TT Paris, and TT Mulhouse—will compete for the championship in the 2024-25 season.

What changed the race? A late-season surge by Lyon and Pontoise in April kept them just above the drop zone, but a 3-0 loss to Strasbourg in the final round sealed their fate. “We knew the stakes,” said Lyon coach Jean-Luc Meunier. “But the fatigue was too much at the end.”

Relegation Playoffs: Who’s Fighting for Survival?

Lyon and Pontoise will face TT Rouen and TT Reims—currently in D2—this June in a two-legged playoff to determine who stays in D1. The matches are scheduled for June 8 and 15, with the higher-seeded team (based on head-to-head records) hosting the second leg.

Key detail: If both Lyon and Pontoise lose, Rouen and Reims will automatically be promoted. If one wins and the other loses, the winner stays in D1 while the loser is relegated.

Rouen, in particular, has been a dark horse. Their star player, Emmanuel Lebesson, averaged 12.5 points per game in the D2 season—a statistic that would have ranked him third in D1—and has already drawn comparisons to Gauzy’s rise.

Beyond the Standings: What This Season Reveals

This season underscored two trends in French table tennis: youth development and international competition pressure. Gauzy’s title win, for example, came despite his absence from the ITTF World Tour for much of the year—a deliberate choice to focus on domestic dominance.

Meanwhile, the relegation battle highlighted a growing gap between France’s top clubs and the rest. “The top four teams have the resources to scout talent globally,” said FFTT president Patrick Chila. “The others are struggling to keep up.”

Comparison: In 2023, only one team (Pontoise) was in the relegation zone at this stage of the season. This year, three teams finished with under 30 points—a sign of increased parity at the lower end.

Gauzy’s Focus Shifts to Olympics; Cassin Eyes World Tour

With the season over, Gauzy will turn his attention to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he’s a medal contender in the men’s singles. Cassin, meanwhile, will rejoin the ITTF World Tour, targeting a top-10 ranking by the end of the year.

For the relegated players, the focus is on recovery. Lyon’s Lucas Corvecia, who averaged 10.8 points per game this season, has already signed with a D2 club for next year. “It’s a setback, but not the end,” he said. “I’ll be back in D1.”

Key Dates and How to Stay Updated

• June 8–15: Relegation playoffs (Lyon vs. Rouen, Pontoise vs. Reims). Full schedule here.
• July 1–7: ITTF World Tour Grand Slam in Doha, featuring Cassin and Gauzy.
• August 26–September 2: Paris Olympics table tennis events.

For live updates, follow @FFTTennis on X or visit the official FFTT website.