France celebrated a historic milestone on Saturday at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Doha, claiming two bronze medals in individual events — marking the country’s best performance at a World Championships since Jean-Philippe GATIEN and Damien ELOI climbed the podium in Manchester 28 years ago. This time, it was the men’s doubles pairs who brought glory: Alexis and Félix LEBRUN, and Esteban DORR with Florian BOURRASSAUD, both secured bronze medals, sharing the stage in what became a landmark moment for French table tennis. After falling in the semi-finals to KAO Cheng-Jui and LIN Yun-Ju (1-3), the Lebrun brothers capped off another impressive campaign. Following their strong showing at the World Team Championships in Busan and the Olympic Games success, this individual bronze is another testament to their upward trajectory. “It was a pleasure to share this podium — whether with Alexis or alongside Florian and Esteban,” said Félix LEBRUN.“Every time we reach a podium, especially at a World Championships, it’s a moment of pride we want to enjoy.” “A World Championships medal is something that stays with you — and earning two medals here is just fantastic,” added Alexis LEBRUN. Esteban DORR and Florian BOURRASSAUD also delivered a remarkable run to the semi-finals, only halted by misfortune — a meniscus injury sustained by Dorr at the end of their quarter-final forced them to withdraw. Despite being unable to contest their semi-final, the duo was rightfully awarded the bronze for their outstanding performances throughout the tournament. They eliminated several highly ranked pairs in succession, confirming their rise among the world’s top duos — the result of two years of hard work and sacrifice. “We weren’t European champions at 15 or 16, ours was a longer road — and now we’re just happy,” said Florian BOURRASSAUD. “To be up there with Alexis and Félix is incredibly rewarding. You look up from the podium, and your table tennis life flashes before you — you can’t help but feel joy.” “It’s so rewarding,” added Esteban DORR.“This medal reflects all the work during preparation and far before that. If someone had told me 20 years ago that I’d one day win a World Championships medal, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’m grateful to everyone who helped me along the way — coaches, teammates, everyone who shared the highs and lows. It’s just exceptional.” One year after securing medals in both men’s and women’s team events in Busan, France’s momentum continues — this time in individual competitions. Two French pairs sharing a World Championships podium is a remarkable feat that underscores the nation’s rise in global table tennis. “The outcome is simply extraordinary,” said Jean-Nicolas BARELIER, National Technical Director of the French Table Tennis Federation. “To claim two medals under difficult circumstances — especially with Alexis carrying an injury — shows the depth of our squad and the staff’s ability to prepare each player based on their strengths.” He further emphasized the achievement of DORR and BOURRASSAUD, ranked 99th and 134th in the world respectively, noting the excellence of the preparatory training camp held at CREPS in Nantes (May 1–10) as a key factor in unlocking the players’ potential. “Beyond the medals, we had Simon GAUZY and Prithika PAVADE reach the Round of 16, and Charlotte LUTZ made it to the Round of 32 — impressive results at this level. It’s a historic and immensely positive outcome for the entire French delegation.”

The ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 in Doha concluded with European players claiming four medals. In the Women’s Doubles event, Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA and Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS clinched silver, while Sweden’s Truls MOREGÅRD secured bronze in Men’s Singles. France also celebrated two bronze medals in Men’s Doubles through the pairings of Alexis and Félix LEBRUN, and Florian BOURRASSAUD and Esteban DORR. In the Men’s Singles final, China’s WANG Chuqin captured the St. Bride Vase, defeating Brazil’s Hugo CALDERANO in commanding fashion (12–10, 11–3, 4–11, 11–2, 11–7). Truls MOREGÅRD’s road to the semifinals featured wins over Francisco SANCHI, Andreas LEVENKO, KAO Cheng-Jui, JANG Woojin, and Shunsuke TOGAMI, before falling to second seed Wang Chuqin 4–1 in the semis. Other Europeans who reached the Round of 16 included France’s Simon GAUZY and Félix LEBRUN, Germany’s Patrick FRANZISKA, Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC, England’s Tom JARVIS, and Sweden’s Anton KÄLLBERG. In the Women’s Doubles final, POLCANOVA and SZOCS were defeated by China’s WANG Manyu and KUAI Man in straight games (11–6, 11–6, 11–5). On their way to the final, they overcame the pairings of Mubanga KUNDA and Latifa NALAVWE, Clio BARCENAS and Arantxa COSSIO, Hana MATELOVA and Barbora BALAZOVA, Sabine WINTER and Yuan WAN, and SHIN Yubin and RYU Hanna. The quarterfinals also featured Spain’s Maria XIAO and Romania’s Adina DIACONU, as well as Germany’s Sabine WINTER and Yuan WAN. In the Women’s Singles final, China’s Sun Yingsha successfully defended her crown with a thrilling 4–3 victory over WANG Manyu (11–6, 12–10, 8–11, 5–11, 12–10, 11–13, 11–7). Croatia’s Lea RAKOVEC delivered one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by reaching the Round of 16 despite being ranked only No. 134 in the world. She was joined in that stage by No. 20 seed Prithika PAVADE of France and No. 11 seed Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, although all three fell short of the quarterfinals. Japan’s Shunsuke TOGAMI and Hiroto SHINOZUKA were crowned Men’s Doubles World Champions after defeating Taiwan’s LIN Yun-Ju and KAO Cheng-Jui in the final (6–11, 11–5, 7–11, 11–6, 11–6). French brothers Félix and Alexis LEBRUN, the top seeds, claimed bronze after their semifinal loss to the Taiwanese duo. Florian BOURRASSAUD and Esteban DORR of France also secured bronze but were forced to withdraw from their semifinal match due to a knee injury sustained by DORR. Other European quarterfinalists included Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Mattias FALCK, who lost to the LEBRUN brothers, and the Romanian–Spanish duo Ovidiu IONESCU and Álvaro ROBLES, who were eliminated by the second French pairing. In the Mixed Doubles event, Álvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO of Spain reached the quarterfinals. Among those who competed in the Round of 16 were Robert GARDOS and Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Ľubomír PIŠTEJ and Barbora BALÁŽOVÁ of Slovakia, Samuel KULCZYCKI and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland, and Ovidiu IONESCU and Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania.

The 2019 World Championships silver medallists Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES have advanced to the top eight Men’s Doubles Event in Doha, securing their place after defeating the No.4 seeds, Japan’s Tomokazu HARIMOTO and Sora MATSUSHIMA. Ranked at the position no. 173 in the World, the Romanian-Spanish pairings rose to the occasion in this round of 16 battle, showing great spirit and consistently delivering winning shots. After dropping the first game, IONESCU and ROBLES bounced back to take the second 14-12 and maintained their level throughout. With strategically placed balls setting up powerful finishing shots, they leveled the score again at 2-2. In the deciding game, they executed their best tactics and shots to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory (9-11, 14-12, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9).

Simon GAUZY continued his memorable run at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 in Doha, producing a determined and high-quality performance to defeat China’s LIN Gaoyuan 4-2 (2-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-3) and secure a place in the round of 16. It had already been a dramatic day for the Frenchman, who saved two match points earlier against Denmark’s Anders LIND to stay in the competition. By the time the evening session arrived, Gauzy was fired up for another challenge—this time against an opponent he had never beaten in four previous encounters. LIN opened the match with authority, racing through the first game, but GAUZY responded with sharp counterplay and bold shot-making to level the score. The third game proved pivotal: trailing 4-9 and facing two game points, GAUZY clawed his way back and edged it 13-11, shifting the momentum firmly in his favour. Though LIN responded in the fifth, GAUZY stepped up again in the sixth game, dictating rallies and riding a wave of confidence to close out the match in style. “That’s the second time I’ve beaten a top Chinese player in the World Championships, and I will never get tired of that,” Gauzy said afterward. “It will not get easier in the next round, but I’m really, really happy. I think I’m entertaining when I’m playing good. When I’m playing like that, I think it’s nice to watch me play. Lately it’s been the case, but it’s not always been the case. I know when I’m playing with that hard spirit and I land my crazy shots, I can disturb anyone. And that’s what I did today. I mean, I think he (Wang Chuqin) is the favourite to win the World Championships. That’s my take -but I hope he’ll lose quite early.” With the win, GAUZY sets up a highly anticipated last-16 clash against 2023 World Championships silver medallist WANG Chuqin.

Another giant has fallen in Doha. World No.139 Gaia MONFARDINI produced one of the biggest shocks of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025, overcoming the vastly more experienced No.28 seed Doo Hoi Kem in a dramatic seven-game encounter: 4-3 (11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7). Facing DOO for the first time, MONFARDINI showed no signs of intimidation, taking the opening two games with fearless, high-risk play. But the Hong Kong star found her footing and stormed back with three straight wins, appearing to have turned the tide. Backed into a corner, MONFARDINI refused to back down. Digging deep, she took the sixth game and raced into a commanding lead in the decider, eventually sealing the upset with relentless composure. Still shaking moments after the match, the Italian was visibly emotional: “I’m not sure what to say anymore. It’s crazy. I knew I was playing well against her, but I didn’t expect this, even when I was leading. I never dared to think that I could win this.” She added: “This win confirms that I can trust myself, as there have been many times I doubted. Sometimes it’s difficult to stay strong. This is table tennis—it’s a technical game, but in the end, it becomes a mind game. You’re playing against yourself.” With her focus still sharp despite the whirlwind moment, MONFARDINI is already looking ahead, albeit cautiously, to her next match against SHIN Yubin: “I’m not going to think too much. It doesn’t matter if I’m behind or in front—I’m just going point by point.”

French table tennis star Alexis LEBRUN has officially withdrawn from the singles competition at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 in Doha. Still in recovery from a fractured hand, the 21-year-old made the decision in consultation with the French team’s medical staff. LEBRUN, who had comfortably defeated Togo’s Kokou Fanny 4-0 in the opening round, was scheduled to face Yen-Chun Lin in the round of 64 on Tuesday. However, due to the possibility of playing two matches in one day, doctors advised against it. In a message to his fans on Instagram, LEBRUN shared the update: “Unfortunately, I won’t be playing singles today. I haven’t received medical clearance to play two matches in the same day, so I’m withdrawing from the singles draw. But I’ll give everything to go as far as possible with Félix in doubles. VAMOS!” The LEBRUN brothers have made strong progress in men’s doubles, advancing to the round of 16 after wins against pairs from Spain and Iran. Their next challenge will be against Sweden’s Olympic silver medallists Truls MÖREGÅRDH and Anton KÄLLBERG. “Third day done! We’re pushing further in doubles with Félix ,” Alexis added in his post. “The next match will be against the Swedes… Time and date will be announced soon.” Having already claimed team bronze at Paris 2024 and team silver at the 2024 World Championships, the LEBRUN brothers remain one of France’s brightest hopes on the global stage.

The surprises keep rolling in on Day 3 of the ITTF World Championships Finals Doha 2025, with Croatia’s Lea RAKOVAC pulling off one of the most resounding wins of the tournament so far. Facing Japan’s Miu HIRANO, a former World Championships bronze medallist, RAKOVAC delivered a commanding 4-2 victory (11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6, 11-7) in the Round of 64. Ranked World No.137 and over a hundred places below her opponent, RAKOVAC entered the match as a clear underdog. But from the very first point, she seized control with confident and calculated play. The Croatian not only maintained pressure throughout but dismantled Hirano’s rhythm with her aggressive pace and tactical awareness. “I prepared my tactics well, and I had a good warm-up. I just wanted to play my game,” said RAKOVAC after the match. “And as usual, as with every match, I always have respect against everybody. It doesn’t matter which player I play against. But today, my tactic was good. I was better and faster. Table tennis is a very complex sport. So, my expectations are always the same, which is every single day, especially when I come to the tournament, I prepare myself earlier, and in this kind of championships, like World Championships, I just try to enjoy the match and fight hard.” The result marks an early and unexpected departure for HIRANO, who claimed bronze in 2017 and was widely expected to advance deep into the draw once again. Lea RAKOVAC was once considered one of Croatia’s brightest table tennis prospects. Back in 2017, however, she made the surprising decision to step away from the sport at the height of her early career—a move that stunned many in the national table tennis community, especially given the trajectory she was on.As a junior, she had won the prestigious Top 10 tournament featuring Europe’s best players, finishing undefeated with nine wins. She was also a European silver medallist in singles and a European champion in mixed doubles alongside Tomislav PUCAR. In addition she played at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. Everything pointed to a bright future—until she suddenly said, “Enough.” She stepped away completely, staying active with other sports like badminton, squash, and padel, but table tennis was off the table—literally—for nearly four years. Her return came unexpectedly, just as her exit had. During the COVID-19 pandemic, RAKOVAC found herself with more time and space to reflect. In 2021, she signed with Croatian club Aquaestil and began a determined comeback. In 2023 RAKOVAC has also returned to the national team.