Lebrun brothers defend European table tennis doubles crown in Ljubljana

At the European table tennis championships in Ljubljana, the French pair Alexis and Félix Lebrun repeated as doubles champions, defeating Sweden's Kristian Karlsson and Anton Kallberg in a tightly contested match that went to five sets. After losing the first two sets and falling behind 0-3 in the final set, the brothers rallied to win 5-11, 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8. This marks their second European doubles crown, the first having been earned in Linz two years ago, and confirms their status as world-number-one in the discipline.

Their season also features Grand Smash victories in Singapore and Sweden. In singles, Alexis was eliminated in the quarter-finals, while Félix, aged 20, will face fellow Frenchman Léo De Nodrest in the semifinals for a chance at a second title.