Table tennis. World Team Championships: Beaten by China, the French settle for bronze

China – France 3-1 Defeated by China on Saturday in London (United Kingdom) after a thrilling evening (3-1), the French led by the Lebrun brothers were stopped in the team table tennis World Championships semi-finals. Two years after winning silver in Busan (South Korea) and after a defeat against the Chinese giants (3-0), the French team this time succumbed to the world number one nation a little further into the competition. They will have to settle for the bronze, as the “ping pong” country seemed more accessible recently.

It was the same story on Saturday, in an evening of almost three hours marked by all emotions: the relief of number one Wang Chuqin, who was rarely pushed (3-2) by the 18-year-old Flavien Coton.

The gap narrows between France and China Then, the confidence displayed by Felix Lebrun, almost imperial, against Lin Shidong (3-0). Or the confidence gradually lost on the side of Alexis Lebrun, overturned by Liang Jingkun (3-2) in the third match, while the Montpellier player had two match points.

Then came the disappointment, and perhaps some regret, which marked the faces of the French after Felix Lebrun’s final defeat against Wang Chuqin (3-1). Wang has simply never lost to the French present at the table today, in 16 matches. Even though Flavien Coton offered a high-level match, even leading 2-1 in a Wembley Arena filled mostly with Chinese supporters.

Undefeated in the competition since 2001, always reaching the final since 1991, the Chinese will once again be at the Sunday event, against Japan, another title favorite. For the French, the reigning European champions, it is a missed opportunity, even though the evening also showed that the gap is slowly narrowing between the two nations. Not enough for this Saturday night.