Table tennis: Alexis Lebrun concedes the draw for his entry into the World Cup

Alexis Lebrun n’a pas su l’emporter contre Alberto Mino. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA

For his entry into the World Cup, Alexis Lebrun was unable to gain the upper hand against Alberto Mino (86th in the world), conceding a two-set draw everywhere (3-11, 11-9, 9-11 , 11-4). A victory in the next match is mandatory to advance to the round of 16.

How difficult it was. For his first match at the World Cup this Tuesday morning, Alexis Lebrun did not find the solutions to get rid of world number 86, Alberto Mino. Unlike his brother yesterday, the eldest conceded a draw from the start, undermining his qualifying ambitions.

A meeting that got off to a very poor start, as the Montpellier native quickly became clumsy with his racket in hand. Trailing 8-2 in the first set, he was quickly put in difficulty by an opponent equal to the occasion.

The first set is lost, but nothing is over yet. The Frenchman, jostled at the start, seemed overwhelmed by the power unleashed by the Ecuadorian. Even in the second set, the latter didn't give up and pushed Alexis Lebrun to use a timeout for the first time in the match.

A match he never knew how to start

At the end of the timeout, the Frenchman seemed reinvigorated, but it was not without difficulty that he won this second set 11-9. Nevertheless, Mino continues to force his punches, while remaining fair. The third round is dominated by the Ecuadorian who won 9-11.

The format established by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) limits group matches to 4 sets. At that point, Alexis Lebrun could no longer win the game. And for the first time in the match, the Montpellier player started a set well, leading 5-1 in the fourth.

We found Alexis consistent in his intentions. Much more variation and power, which finally put the 86th in the world in a tough spot. The Frenchman, however, continued to make a few errors, causing him to lose valuable points, crucial for qualifying in the final table.

Victory required to see final phase

Alexis didn’t make it easy. By conceding the draw against Alberto Mino, 86th in the world, he did not give himself much margin to hope to qualify. In the next match, the Frenchman will face the Chinese  Lin Shidong, 18th in the world.

To validate his ticket to the next round, a 4 sets to 0 victory should secure him a place. Another result could not be enough for him, he who, despite his draw, conceded more points (35) than he scored (34). ;rsquo;countable equality, the points recorded during the sets could make it possible to decide between the first two players in each group.