The Lebrun brothers reach the semi-finals of the World Table Tennis Championships, two French pairs guaranteed a medal

There will be two French pairs in the semi-finals of the men's doubles at the World Table Tennis Championships in Doha (Qatar). After the exploits of Florian Bourrassaud and Esteban Dorr the day before, the world number 1s in the discipline beat the Swedes Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson on Friday, May 23, to secure their place in the last four (11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5). "We are very happy and proud to have won and to bring two medals for France this year, it's crazy," reacted Félix Lebrun after the match on RMC Sport. Because, in table tennis, each semi-finalist is guaranteed a medal, and such a French harvest is unprecedented since 1992.

The Swedish pair, ranked ^21st in the world, started the match better, opening up an initial gap thanks to a very precise short game. But the French brothers, far from being overwhelmed, quickly regained the advantage, Alexis Lebrun validating the first set with a powerful backhand. While the French coach, Nathanaël Molin, encouraged them to remain calm, a day after the elimination of their younger brother Félix in the round of 16 of the individual draw , the Lebrun brothers received the message.

Complementary, the Lebrun brothers saw Félix, visibly recovered from his elimination, multiply good serves and precise returns to put his brother in position to unleash his full power. In a second set marked by defensive intensity – Alexis even finishing a point (lost) on the ground after a nice long run – the Blues maintained the upper hand. Although they suffered the revolt of the Swedes in the third set and a slight lull, seeing their opponents come back (two sets to one), Alexis and Félix Lebrun showed no sign of tension, quickly remobilizing to conclude the game from the first match point.

In the semifinals, the French world number ones will face Taiwan's Kao Cheng-Jui and Lin Yun-Ju, who are ranked ^11th in the world doubles rankings. They will have clear ambitions of reaching the final. If the planets align in Doha, the two brothers could face their compatriots there, as the other French pair – Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud – qualified for the semifinals on Thursday, where they will face Japan's Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami.

A French-French final is "a dream" that will be difficult to achieve due to "very tough opponents in the semi-finals," Alexis Lebrun observed on the broadcaster's microphone. "We are already very happy to be on the podium with them," he enthused. In the history of French table tennis, the Blues have won 16 medals at the world championships, and have not been on the podium since 1997 – the bronze, already, of the pair Jean-Philippe Gatien and Damien Eloi. This double – at least bronze –, unprecedented since 1992, confirms the progress of the French table tennis players, riding the wave of the Lebrun brothers. Who do not intend to interrupt their Qatari journey at the semi-final stage.