France booked their place in the quarterfinals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London after a 3-0 victory over Portugal in the Round of 16.
Despite the final scoreline, the tie opened with a fierce battle between Alexis LEBRUN and Tiago APOLONIA. APOLONIA edged the opening game 16-14, but Alexis quickly raised his level and completely turned the momentum around, storming through the next three games to give France the lead.
Felix LEBRUN then doubled the advantage with an impressive straight-games victory over Marcos FREITAS. The French star controlled the encounter from the beginning and never allowed Freitas to settle into rhythm.
“ We played a really great match. It’s a team that has been playing together for a long time. Individually, I think we are stronger than them, but it’s never easy to beat them. So we are very happy that we managed to make this kind of match look easy,” said Felix LEBRUN.
Felix also praised the way France reacted after the difficult opening stages of the tie.
“APOLONIA made an incredible start against Alexis, but Alexis managed to raise his level and eventually dominate Tiago. After that, whether it was me or Flavien, we just continued building on what Alexis had started.”
In the third match, Flavien COTON sealed the victory with a confident 3-1 win over Joao GERALDO, sending France safely into the last eight.
France now continue their impressive run in London with growing confidence as they move one step closer to the medals.
France- Portugal 3-0
Alexis LEBRUN – Tiago APOLONIA 3-1 (14-16, 11-7, 11-1, 11-5)
Felix LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-6)
Flavien COTON – Joao GERALDO 3-1 (11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 11-9)