The four players in the China-Taiwan match, the women’s quarter-final of the team table tennis tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, must be feeling a little alone… Apart from the Chinese journalists, who exult at every good point, the entire Arena Paris Sud room has its eyes fixed ten meters to their right, on the other quarter-final, where the new epic of the Lebrun brothers is looming, in this case Alexis, the eldest aged 20 and the lowest ranked of the two (18th in the world), teamed up with Simon Gauzy (31st) against the Brazilian team, led by the formidable Hugo Calderano, third in the world. But the Brazilian leader is not playing at the start of the game, this Wednesday at 3 p.m., he is not even on the edge of the field, unlike Félix Lebrun (5th), impassive face of a concentrated teenager, a few remarks all the same during the timeouts, in tandem with the coach Nathanaël Molin.
In doubles, unlike tennis, the choice of ball handling is not free: the players must alternate, one after the other. Faced with this constraint, the exchanges are short, and the two Brazilian understudies, Vitor Ishiy (74th), Guilherme Teodoro (122nd), have difficulty holding the white ball on the table. In less than five minutes, France pocketed the first set, 11-8. General jubilation of the 6,800 spectators, the hall is full. Surprise, very few blue white red flags, a multitude on the other hand of flags waved either blue or red, signed “Allez les bleus”, placed by the organization at each match of the tricolor team. In the central stand, the banner of the “Cul” is also there, understand the “Ultras Lebrun collective”, the two Montpellier residents are becoming phenomena, table tennis equivalents of the new star Léon Marchand.
Brazilians are cracking
11-9, the second set was a little more tight, the two Frenchmen made few memorable attacks, but they only had to return the ball several times for the Brazilians to crack. Alexis Lebrun and Simon Gauzy let loose a little more in the third set, a few subtle wrist shots to give an effect, a solid defense, 11-6, thank you, goodbye, well played gentlemen. The feet of the Arena Paris Sud roared, an effective method to raise the atmosphere, and Hugo Calderano finally appeared. It was time for the clash against Félix Lebrun, or rather for revenge, the 17-year-old Frenchman had just snatched the bronze medal from him in the individual game, four sets to zero. An opponent of a different caliber, however. Calderano offered a more varied game, sometimes dazzling attacks, an astonishing defense. And a funny favorite serve, making the ball rise three meters above his head, initially provoking some rumors from the crowd.
The points fly by at the speed of a “Lebrunesque” forehand, 11-6, 11-7, the French prodigy first masters his rival. We feel that the Frenchman is volcanic, cries of celebration at each rally won. Third set more closely fought, Alexis’s clenched fist towards the French clan, Simon Gauzy standing when things get hot, brother Alexis more distanced, his nose in the energy bar he is eating. Calderano takes the set, 13-11. No panic from Félix Lebrun, huge slaps on the forehand, the world number three reduced to playing windshield wiper, and five minutes later, the room really capsizes as if we were in football, France has won. Ping-pong goes fast. Not yet a showman but already bubbling, the French number one turns to each corner of the audience to share his joy, holding his racket like a sword.
The blows come one after the other at high speed.
And a wave from the crowd! Three laps of the room, we counted, not sure that table tennis players have seen that often. The display of enthusiasm punctuates the magnificent first set won by Alexis Lebrun – yes, the big brother is already back at the table, everything goes very quickly in table tennis -, 11-6, against the more obscure Vitor Ishiy. The outsider fights back, however, the wave barely has time to conclude that he has equalized at one set all, by succeeding in beautiful powerful attacks.
But in table tennis, it is difficult to beat someone stronger than you. The shots come one after the other at such a speed that consistency, the ability to make fewer mistakes, quickly makes the difference. Alexis Lebrun does not have a very good match but takes the third set 11-5, he still leads 5-2 at the time of a timeout which gives the room the opportunity to sing a Marseillaise. The rest is a formality, the eldest of the Lebruns finishes off Ishiy in three minutes, victory 3 to 0, Daft Punk music at full blast and… ola from the three Frenchmen towards the four corners of the audience. “Oooooolé!”, responds the ecstatic room, as in a bullfight. France qualifies for the semi-finals of the team table tennis, against China, and the Lebrun fever promises to reach new levels soon. “One more time”, blares the stereo. The wish will probably come true: the epic of the two brothers is set to last for many years. In the meantime, the big Chinese favourites beat Taiwan 3-0. To general indifference.