Fabien Le Floc’h, Media365: published on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 11:51
France once again fell short against China in the semifinals of the World Championships on Saturday in London (1-3), but the gap seems to be closing between the two nations.
The French team believed, but it wasn’t their time yet. Facing China in the World Championships semifinals, the French men’s table tennis team could not achieve victory (1-3) against the world’s best nation, which has won eleven consecutive titles since 2001. Just like in the World Championships final and the Olympic final two years ago, the task was too tough for the French team.
“There is disappointment and sadness, we were close but not really,” noted Felix Lebrun after the defeat. “Collectively, we are not far from them. They won, but it could have been us.” The turning point was likely in the third match, where Alexis Lebrun faced Liang Jingkun (21st). France and China were tied, and the French player won the first two sets convincingly before missing two match points and ultimately losing (3-11, 1-11, 15-13, 12-10, 11-2). Frustrating.
Alexis Lebrun devastated
“It’s the disappointment, and it’s very high,” acknowledged the Lebrun brothers’ father in L’Equipe. “Alexis’ match is crucial, even if winning is distant. His victory in match 3 gave them a good momentum,” analyzed his brother Felix. This sentiment was confirmed by the French team’s coach, Nathanaël Molin. “It’s a match where there are match points, it’s the pivotal match, the heart of the encounter,” he admitted. “Alexis had the chances to finish it.”
Despite the disappointment, the French team is content with standing up to the Chinese team led by world number one Wang Chuqin, who secured China’s spot in the final by defeating Felix Lebrun in four sets (13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4), for the eighth consecutive time. “We are getting closer compared to two years ago, in Busan and at the Olympics. We are on the right path,” affirmed the younger Lebrun. Nathanaël Molin is also convinced, stating that the French team is just starting their journey. “We are strong today, we will be stronger in two years, even stronger in four, and probably in six,” he assured. The question remains whether this will be enough to eventually defeat China.
