Following his success in European table tennis competitions, Alexis Lebrun hopes to bag home a major title for France like his admired person, China's Olympic champion Fan Zhendong.
CHONGQING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Fresh from his campaign at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Chongqing, France's Alexis Lebrun expressed hopes of winning a major title for his country like China's Olympic champion Fan Zhendong, whom he says he admires most.
Lebrun crashed out of the tournament after falling 11-8, 13-11, 11-6 to China's world No. 2 Wang Chuqin in round of 16.
Reflecting on his journey in Chongqing, Lebrun told Xinhua that competing in this event allowed him to keep learning, and expressed his satisfaction with his performance in preparation for the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships and ITTF Men's World Cup.
Admitting that Wang was "extremely strong in the match," Lebrun said this experience would help him be ready to defeat Wang if they meet again.
The 10th-ranked paddler also expressed his gratitude to the Chinese spectators. "The arena looks really magnificent when it's packed," he said. "I know there's always a large turnout and great support even when you're competing against Chinese players, the atmosphere is really amazing."
Lebrun has visited China several times to participate in competitions. In 2023, he paired with his younger brother Felix to claim the men's doubles title at the WTT Star Contender in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province. The sibling duo currently lead the world rankings in the event.
"For me, China is a great country in sport, especially in table tennis. There are incredibly strong players whom I'm eager to beat," Lebrun said.
Meanwhile, he expressed his huge admiration of Fan, whom he had defeated at the WTT Champions Macao in 2023. "He's the one that I get on with best, and it's true that I find his matches really enjoyable to watch," Lebrun noted.
The Frenchman also revealed his dreams of replicating Fan's achievements. "That would be amazing. He's an Olympic champion, a world champion; he's achieved everything."
In October 2024, Lebrun claimed the singles title at the European Championships for the first time in his career, and he also triumphed at the European Top 16 Cup in February this year.
Looking ahead, Lebrun is determined to keep making progress and achieving better results. "We managed to win team medals for France at the world level, both at the worlds and Olympics. But now, I truly want to win a major title," he said. ■
