Félix LEBRUN of France completed a magnificent European Championships in Ljubljana by claiming the Men’s Singles title, adding a second gold medal to the Men’s Doubles crown he won alongside his brother Alexis just 24 hours earlier. The 20-year-old top seed defeated Sweden’s Anton KÄLLBERG 4-3 (7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1) in a dramatic final at Arena Stožice, succeeding Alexis as European champion. KÄLLBERG secured silver, while France’s Léo DE NODREST and Germany’s Dang QIU claimed bronze medals.
Pictures by Remy GROS
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The final was a thrilling contest in which KÄLLBERG came within one game of victory before the Frenchman produced an extraordinary finish.
The Swede made the stronger start, taking the opening game 11-7, but LEBRUN responded to win the next two 11-9 and 13-11. KÄLLBERG then regained control, claiming the fourth and fifth games 11-8 and 11-9 to move ahead 3-2.
With his European title hopes hanging in the balance, LEBRUN made a crucial decision. Rather than continuing with a tactical approach that was not producing the desired results, he decided to play more freely and fight for every point.
The transformation was spectacular.
LEBRUN won the sixth game 11-6 before delivering a breathtaking performance in the decider, overwhelming KÄLLBERG 11-1 to complete his comeback and secure the title.
“I really don’t know what happened, to be honest. I played the best game of my life in the last one,” said LEBRUN.
“At 3-2, I told my coach that we had a tactical plan, but I wasn’t serving well enough to execute it. So I said, ‘OK, let’s forget about the tactics, just fight and see what happens. I’ll give everything I have.’
“And somehow, that helped me produce some amazing table tennis in the last two games.
“I’m incredibly proud of myself and of the entire team that works with me every day to achieve results like this.”
The triumph was particularly meaningful because Félix succeeded his older brother Alexis, who had won the European Men’s Singles title in Linz in 2024.
“It’s amazing. I think we always manage to play well at the biggest tournaments,” said Félix. “I’m really proud to succeed Alexis after he won the title two years ago. It’s a wonderful feeling for our family. I’m also so happy for everyone on the team who works with us. And, of course, for myself. I’m really, really happy and proud.”
The LEBRUN brothers had already celebrated together on Saturday evening, when they successfully defended their European Men’s Doubles title by defeating KÄLLBERG and Kristian KARLSSON 3-2 in another dramatic final.
“I really didn’t think I could achieve something like this before the tournament. I wasn’t feeling at my best when I arrived, but step by step, I started playing better and better.
“And in the end, I won both titles. It feels incredible.”
As for his celebrations, the new European champion was already looking forward to sharing the moment with those closest to him.
“It’s Sunday, so maybe there won’t be much of a party outside, but I’ll celebrate with my family and friends. And when I return to Montpellier, I’ll enjoy it there as well.”
KÄLLBERG left with two silver medals after another final against the LEBRUN brothers
For KÄLLBERG, the defeat was particularly difficult after he had taken a 3-2 lead and appeared to be closing in on his first European Men’s Singles title.
The 29-year-old Swede had already secured his first European Championships Men’s Singles medal by reaching the semifinals, but his ambitions had grown considerably during the tournament.
“It’s disappointing, of course. You want to win gold. This would have been so much sweeter with a gold medal,” said KÄLLBERG.
“There’s a big difference between winning gold and silver, so it’s really tough to take.”
KÄLLBERG acknowledged that he had felt confident about his chances after taking the lead, particularly given his previous encounters with the Frenchman.
“I felt I had a real chance. We’ve played each other before, and I knew I could beat him, so I felt good about my chances.
“But in the last two games, I was pretty much helpless. He started serving better, and after he changed his serves, I couldn’t find a way back into the match.
“I wasn’t getting much out of the rallies or putting him under any pressure, so I struggled to deal with his spin and his shots.”
Despite continuing to search for a solution, the Swede could not halt LEBRUN’s momentum.
“I was just trying to keep fighting and find something that would work, hoping he might make a few mistakes
“Unfortunately, he didn’t. I simply didn’t have much left to fight back with towards the end. Of course, I kept trying, but it was tough.”
KÄLLBERG leaves Ljubljana with two silver medals, having also finished runner-up in the Men’s Doubles alongside KARLSSON.
Although that represents an outstanding achievement, the disappointment of missing out on gold was still fresh.
“Obviously, before the tournament, I would have been happy to win two silver medals.
“But if you’d asked me yesterday, I wouldn’t have been satisfied with two silvers.
“Right now, I’m disappointed because winning gold would have been so special.”
LEBRUN survives French semifinal battle against historic qualifier DE NODREST
Earlier on Sunday, Félix LEBRUN had been pushed to the limit by compatriot Léo DE NODREST, whose extraordinary run from the qualification groups was one of the biggest stories of the Championships.
The top seed eventually prevailed 4-2 (6-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12), but the scoreline only partly reflected the difficulties he faced.
DE NODREST, seeded No. 67, made an excellent start, winning the opening game and then taking a 2-1 lead. His aggressive play, strong service and ability to attack immediately after the serve repeatedly disrupted LEBRUN’s rhythm.
The favourite responded by winning the fourth and fifth games, but the sixth remained fiercely contested before he finally closed it out 14-12.
“It’s fantastic! But it was really tough. Every time I play against Léo, it’s difficult. We’ve been playing each other for four years, and there have been wins and losses, but the matches are always extremely close,” said LEBRUN.
“He puts me under a lot of pressure, serves very well and plays his first attacking ball incredibly aggressively. So I rarely feel comfortable against him.
“I think that’s why I didn’t feel particularly good today and had the impression that I wasn’t playing well. But that was really because of his playing style and the level he was producing.”
LEBRUN admitted that his own service had contributed to his difficulties.
“To be honest, my serves weren’t working particularly well.
“I know my service is generally less effective against French players, which is normal, although that doesn’t usually stop me from beating them.
“But Léo was attacking me immediately with his flick, and that put me under a lot of pressure.
“I tried using the serve that normally causes him problems, with a little topspin, but I kept serving it too long. I was doing that too often, and I started losing confidence in it.
“I even missed two serves outright in the opening game.”
The Frenchman also acknowledged the psychological challenge of facing a compatriot who had already exceeded expectations.
“He had everything to gain, while I was the overwhelming favourite going into the match. I really felt that pressure.
“Playing against another French player is also a little different.
“Against players from other countries, my serves usually work very well right from the beginning, which allows me to settle into the match.
“But Léo attacked immediately, so I wasn’t getting any easy points early on.”
Despite the physical demands of the Championships, LEBRUN insisted that fatigue had not been responsible for his struggles.
“There was absolutely no physical problem. I’m ready for the final.”
His relief was evident after surviving a match in which he felt DE NODREST had controlled much of the play.
“I think he was dominating the match for almost the entire time, so I’m delighted that I managed to find a way to win, with the help of my team.”
For DE NODREST, the defeat brought an end to a remarkable campaign.
The 25-year-old Frenchman had started the Championships in the qualification groups and progressed all the way to the semifinals, becoming the first men’s qualifier to reach that stage since the introduction of the qualification-group format in 2012.
His journey included a Round of 16 victory over Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC and a seven-game quarterfinal triumph against Germany’s Benedikt DUDA.
“I wasn’t far off at all. It’s a little sad that the journey has come to an end. But then again, I lost to Félix, who’s the favourite, so there’s really nothing to complain about,” said DE NODREST.
“What I’m happy about is that I didn’t let my emotions get the better of me. After winning the medal, I could have lost a bit of focus, but I managed to keep pushing and put in another really strong performance. I’m really pleased with that.”
Although he had opportunities to increase the pressure on LEBRUN, DE NODREST refused to dwell on missed chances.
“I’m not sure I’d call them regrets. It’s not as if I made any major tactical mistakes. I think I played the right way, but he came up with some great responses. So, fair play to him.
“If I’d made some big mistakes or lost concentration at key moments, I might have been kicking myself. But that wasn’t the case today, so I can only congratulate him.”
DE NODREST also revealed the close balance in their previous meetings.
“There’s definitely something there! He actually just walked past me, and our head-to-head record was tied at 2-2. Now he’s gone 3-2 ahead, so I’m a bit annoyed about that!
“But, yeah, strangely enough, I might be one of the few players who actually enjoys playing against Félix. I love the way he plays, and I really enjoy the rallies we have whenever we face each other.
“I was really looking forward to this match, and I’m happy that I managed to play at such a high level.”
KÄLLBERG turns the tables on QIU to reach his first European Singles final
The second semifinal also featured a comeback, with Anton KÄLLBERG recovering from a 1-2 deficit to defeat Germany’s Dang QIU 4-2 (11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4).
QIU, the 2022 European Men’s Singles champion, had been in impressive form throughout the Championships and had eliminated defending champion Alexis LEBRUN in the quarterfinals.
He also made a strong start against KÄLLBERG, establishing a 9-4 lead in the opening game. However, the Swede fought back to claim it 11-9.
QIU responded by winning the second and third games, taking a 2-1 advantage, but KÄLLBERG found a tactical solution.
The Swede increased his use of the forehand, avoiding prolonged backhand exchanges in which QIU had held the advantage. After edging the fourth game 11-8, he dominated the final two 11-5 and 11-4.
“It was fantastic to manage to turn the match around and play as well as I did towards the end. I’m incredibly happy with how I finished,” said KÄLLBERG.
“The key was that I managed to use my forehand much more than earlier in the match.
“Dang is incredibly strong in backhand-to-backhand rallies. In those exchanges, it almost felt as though I needed a bit of luck just to win a point.
“But whenever I managed to get my forehand into play, I felt I had a significant advantage.
“So it was really about trying to move as much as possible and use my forehand whenever I could. I just had to keep running and find the energy to do it. That was the key to turning the match around.”
KÄLLBERG also explained the importance of approaching the semifinal with confidence despite having lost most of his previous encounters with QIU.
“The most important thing was to fill myself with confidence.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be an enjoyable match for him either. Playing a European Championships semifinal is difficult, especially when you’re perhaps a slight favourite.
“I knew that if I could play aggressively and stay active, I wouldn’t be an easy opponent to face.”
Looking ahead to the final, KÄLLBERG recognised that Félix LEBRUN would present a very different challenge, despite both LEBRUN and QIU using a penhold grip.
“They’re two very different players.
“Of course, they both use a penhold grip, but they strike the ball differently and have different rhythms and timing.
“Félix is incredibly quick, has outstanding serves and constantly varies his game. You really have to stay alert against him.
“We’ll see whether I can manage to play as much with my forehand in the final as I did in the semifinal.”
For QIU, the defeat was particularly frustrating after he had held promising positions in several games.
“I was leading 9-4 in the first game and lost it. In the second, I was 6-0 up and then made two service errors. I still managed to win it 11-9, but I made things unnecessarily difficult for myself from a very good position,” explained the German.
“Then, at 2-1 up, I lost the fourth game 8-11. I struggled to land quite a few of my banana flicks against his backspin serves.
“Those aren’t necessarily bad decisions tactically, because that’s how you need to play those balls, but unfortunately, the shots just weren’t coming off today.”
QIU identified the fourth game as the likely turning point and admitted that both his service and return game had fallen short of the standard he had produced earlier in the tournament.
He also felt the effects of the demanding schedule.
“In general, I just had a little less energy, both physically and mentally. It was a really awkward match.”
The German and Swedish players know each other’s games extremely well, having trained together regularly.
“We hadn’t played against each other in a year, apart from training. We train together every week, of course, but it’s still different when you face each other in a match.
“He played really well today, and deservedly so. I struggled a little more with his game, probably partly because of the table and the playing conditions. But that’s sport.
“Matches against Anton have always been really close. I think we’re very evenly matched in terms of our level, which makes today’s defeat particularly bitter.”
QIU had hoped to contest another European final against Félix LEBRUN, having already claimed the continental Singles title in Munich four years earlier.
“If you really want to reward yourself, you have to become European champion. I would have loved to play Félix in such an important final. But Anton deserved to win today, and now he has earned the right to face Félix.”
Despite the disappointment, QIU was satisfied with his overall campaign.
He had arrived in Ljubljana with limited preparation after returning from China and faced a demanding draw, including a potentially difficult early encounter against Jonathan GROTH.
“I think I can take a lot of positives away from this tournament. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t feeling as good today as I had over the previous few days.
“The balls weren’t coming off my racket the way they had earlier in the tournament, and my concentration wasn’t quite at the same level either. In the end, those things make a difference.”
QIU also reflected on the consistency he has maintained at the highest level.
“I think I’m one of the most consistent players out there. I’ve been around the top 10 for about four and a half years now, and maintaining that level isn’t easy, especially with such a demanding schedule.
“There are always periods when your form goes up and down. Last year, after winning in London, I had two or three months when I felt like I couldn’t lose a match. This year, after Astana, I haven’t had quite the same feeling, for some reason.
“I’m working on a lot of things, and I can see that the improvements are showing in my game, regardless of whether I win or lose.
“I think things are moving in the right direction, and I’m always excited to see that progress.”
A golden family legacy continues
The Men’s Singles competition in Ljubljana produced memorable performances from established champions and emerging contenders alike.
DE NODREST’s historic journey from qualification to bronze was one of the outstanding surprises, while QIU added another European medal to his collection. KÄLLBERG confirmed his place among the continent’s leading players with his first Men’s Singles medal and a second silver in Ljubljana.
But the final word belonged to Félix LEBRUN.
Two years after Alexis lifted the Men’s Singles trophy in Linz, Félix followed in his brother’s footsteps, ensuring that the European crown remained in the family.
Having already celebrated the Men’s Doubles title together, the brothers now leave Ljubljana with another unforgettable chapter in their shared European Championships history.
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Félix LEBRUN clinched golden double with European Men’s Singles title in Ljubljana first appeared on
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