Paris (AFP) – At the end of an already rich season for both, Alexis and Félix Lebrun were crowned in doubles on Saturday at the WTT Finals in Fukuoka, the final meeting of a year that the French finished together at summit. At the same time winning the place of world number 1 in doubles.
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Winners at the end of an unbreathable encounter (3-2) against the Japanese Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami (world number 6), who were playing at home, the star brothers of French ping saw even more double as they offered themselves both a trophy and a place as world number 1. A first for French people. After the gold won together at the European Championships in Linz last October, where the 21-year-old older brother was also crowned in singles, Félix and Alexis Lebrun, both right-handed, once again made their complementarity speak against the Japanese that they know.
Reunited again after the Olympic Games, where Alexis had been associated with Simon Gauzy, the Lebruns had beaten their evening opponents in the quarter-finals of the Grand Smash in Beijing at the beginning of October (3-1) when earlier in the season, Shinozuka and Togami won 3-0 in the semi-final in Saudi Arabia. The two Japanese did not have very good memories of the Olympics either since it was the Blues who won in the match for the team bronze medal.
Battle
On Saturday, the two pairs once again engaged in a fierce battle. Alexis and Félix Lebrun initially suffered, beaten 12-14 in a tight first set where they dismissed three first set points, before being led 8-3 in the second. But thanks in particular to the talent of Félix Lebrun on his serve and great mental strength, the two brothers reversed the trend, managing to equalize (1-1) before taking the lead.
“ We knew we were in great shape in doubles, that we had a small chance. It’s incredible to share these kinds of moments with Félix », Declared Alexis Lebrun after the meeting, at the organization’s microphone. Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami, respectively 34th and 23rd in singles, didn’t give up, and it was finally with the beauty that the Lebrun definitely took the upper hand before letting their joy explode.
Having arrived short of form in Japan, after a difficult second part of the year, Alexis and Félix saw their last meeting end prematurely in singles, eliminated in the first round by the Chinese world number 2 Lin Shidong and the German Benedikt Duda. But this final victory, coupled with a N.1 place, served as a reminder that they could rise very high in the world of ping. “ I don’t know if it’s ever happened before, for two brothers to be at the top of the doubles rankings, it’s an incredible feeling “, underlined Alexis Lebrun, “ but being number 1 is not our main objective, we want to win big tournaments so we can’t wait for the Worlds which will arrive quickly “. The meeting has already been set, for May, in Qatar.