(by Steve Hopkins, photo ETTU)
The French team featuring the Lebrun brothers, Simon Gauzy, Thibault Poret and Flavien Coton, were one of the favorites when the action started at the 2025 European Team Table Tennis Championships in Croatia, and they did not disappoint as they lost just one match in their four team matches. France defeated Slovakia and Belgium 3-0 to reach the semi-finals and then eliminated the German team 3-1. Benedikt Duda over Alexis Lebrun was the only win for Germany as the top two seeds battled it out in that half of the draw to reach the final.
The other half of the draw was full of surprises. Top-seeded Sweden fell 3-2 to Romania as bright veteran Ovidiu Ionescu was joined by 20-year-old Eduard Ionescu and 19-year-old Iulian Chirita to record one win each. Slovenia then upset Portugal 3–1, with Darko Jorgic winning twice and Deni Kozul winning once. This set up an unexpected semi-final match where Romania dominated by winning three straight, with Chirita beating Jorgic in the first match.
Despite Romania’s great run, the Final was all France’s. Alexis Lebrun defeated Chirita 3-0, Felix Lebrun defeated Eduard Ionescu 3-1 and Simon Gauzy defeated Ovidiu Ionescu 3-1.
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