France produced one of the most thrilling comebacks of the ITTF World Team Championships Finals, overturning a two-match deficit to defeat Japan 3-2 in a gripping Group stage clash in London.
The tie could not have started worse for the Europeans. Japan took full control early on, with Tomokazu HARIMOTO easing past Alexis LEBRUN in straight games, before Sora MATSUSHIMA doubled the lead with a confident 3-1 win over Félix LEBRUN.
At 0-2 down, France were on the brink. Then came the turning point. Flavien COTON ignited the comeback with a remarkable five-set victory over Shunsuke TOGAMI, saving the match and shifting momentum back to the French side.
Flavien COTON : “It’s an amazing win for the team. Everyone contributed with a point, and for me it was my first match with the national team, so it wasn’t easy at the beginning. But I managed to stay calm and come back from 2-2, even saving four match points at 5-8 and 8-10. It was a really crazy match for me and for the whole team. When I was facing those match points, I just tried not to put too much pressure on myself and to stick to my game. I played really well in the last few points, and I also got a bit of help when he missed a serve at 12-12. It’s an incredible feeling to get my first win like that.
After I won my match, I felt we had a real chance to take the tie. Félix had a more straightforward win against Harimoto, but Alexis had a very tough and high-quality match against Matsushima. There was a lot of pressure on the bench, but in the end we pulled through and we’re very happy.
We won the silver medal in 2024, so naturally we want to go for a medal again and why not even more? We’ve started well, but it was only the group stage. We’ll enjoy tonight, and then refocus on what’s coming next.”
With belief restored, Félix LEBRUN delivered one of the standout performances of the evening, overpowering HARIMOTO in straight games to level the tie at 2-2.
Everything came down to the decisive match. And it was Alexis LEBRUN who held his nerve. After taking the first two games, he saw Matsushima fight back to force a decider, but the Frenchman stayed composed to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory and complete an unforgettable turnaround.
France – Japan 3-2
- Alexis LEBRUN – Tomokazu HARIMOTO 0-3 (8-11, 7-11, 6-11)
- Félix LEBRUN – Sora MATSUSHIMA 1-3 (9-11, 5-11, 11-6, 10-12)
- Flavien COTON – Shunsuke TOGAMI 3-2 (6-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 14-12)
- Félix LEBRUN – Tomokazu HARIMOTO 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 11-4)
- Alexis LEBRUN – Sora MATSUSHIMA 3-2 (11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9)
