At the European Team Championships in Zadar, France took one step higher on the medal podium than in Malmö 2023 and will play in Sunday’s final for their first European team title since 1998.
The Olympic bronze medallists overcame Malmö runners-up Germany in a breathtaking semi-final that kept fans of both nations on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
The tie began with a repeat of the European Individual Championships final, but this time with the opposite outcome: Benedikt DUDA defeated Alexis LEBRUN in straight games. The European vice-champion and world No. 5 avenged his previous loss to the world No. 3, playing with confidence and precision throughout.
However, Germany could not build on that momentum. In the second match, Félix LEBRUN, who had lost to DUDA in a controversial quarterfinal at the same event, took his revenge, holding his nerve under immense pressure to overcome Patrick FRANZISKA in five sets and level the score at 1–1.
From there, the French team’s confidence grew. Simon GAUZY produced a stunning performance to beat European champion Dang QIU, giving France the lead before Félix returned to the table to face DUDA once more, this time in a spectacular decider.
Coach Nathanaël MOLIN: “The first match is always very important, it often sets the tone for the entire tie. Of course, we knew that the German team is extremely strong and has so much experience in this kind of competition. You can say that for the past twenty or twenty-five years, they have dominated Europe as a team. We knew it was going to be a very tough match.
If you look at the rankings, 5, 12, 18 in the world for us, against 8, 13, 14 for them, it shows how close the levels are. Nothing came easy today. It was a hard, intense match. At 2–2, everything was still open. DUDA was incredible, for the past year, he’s truly been one of the best in the world.”
He broke down the key moments:
“In the first match, DUDA was outstanding against Alexis. There’s nothing I can say to Alexy; his opponent was simply too strong. Then Félix played a really solid match against FRANZISKA, very close to his top level. Maybe at one or two key moments he could have managed things differently, but overall his performance and attitude were excellent.
And Simon… what can I say? He played a perfect match, not ‘perfect’ in the sense of no mistakes, but perfect from a coach’s point of view. Tactically, physically, technically, everything was on point. From start to finish, he had full control. For me, that was a textbook performance.”
The coach praised the final duel between DUDA and Félix:
“The last match was probably the most spectacular of the entire semi-final, full of ups and downs and amazing rallies. DUDA came back several times, leading by five or six points, and then Félix responded again and turned it around. It was world-class table tennis, mentally and tactically.
Players like Félix have something special: the ability to deliver at the right moment. Not always, of course, no one can do that every time, but most of the time, he’s there when it really matters. I think both players, Duda and Félix, gave their absolute maximum. There was no real loser today; both were at their peak. That’s what makes a match like this so special.”
Alexis LEBRUN: “I don’t think I played badly, but Duda was really, really strong today. He played very aggressively from the start, and that surprised me a bit. In the second game, I played well, but he won it 11–9 with three beautiful points at the end, that one was hard to lose because I felt I was at my top level.
After that, it was difficult to come back because he was more relaxed being 2–0 up. I’m a little disappointed because if I had taken that second game, maybe he would have started to doubt a little and it could have been 50–50. But he played really well today.”
Simon GAUZY: “I felt amazing, that was by far my best match of the tournament. I’m really happy with how I performed under pressure at 1–1. This is why I practice, to play these kinds of matches against great players on big stages. I’m proud that I could bring one point for the team playing that way today.”
Germany Head Coach Jörg ROSSKOPF:“It was a very good match with high-level rallies, a real contest on equal terms, exactly as both we and the French expected. We had our chances to turn it in our favour, but France played consistently well with all three players.
‘Benne’ (Benedikt DUDA) delivered an outstanding performance against Alexis at the start. ‘Franz’ (Patrick FRANZISKA) had only small opportunities against Félix, and Gauzy has been in incredible form for the past year and a half, producing excellent results. So it was clear that the French were slight favourites in every match.
Of course, we had hoped to take a 2–1 lead, because it always becomes harder once you fall behind. Still, this European Championship has shown us that we can successfully put into practice what we’ve been training and planning. That’s what matters as we look ahead to the next few years and toward the Olympic Games.”
Benedikt DUDA: “Congratulations to France, they were the better team today. Félix LEBRUN is an outstanding player right now, and he played two excellent matches. You can only congratulate the French and wish them good luck for the final, they’ve truly earned it.
They beat us, but we also had our chances. We’ll learn from this and come back stronger in two years.”
Germany – France 1-3
- Benedikt DUDA – Alexis LEBRUN 3–0 (11–7, 11–9, 11–6)
- Patrick FRANZISKA – Félix LEBRUN 2–3 (6–11, 11–7, 6–11, 11–8, 7–11)
- Dang QIU – Simon GAUZY 0–3 (8–11, 6–11, 10–12)
- Benedikt DUDA – Félix LEBRUN 1-3 (8–11, 12–10, 2–11, 9-11)
