The then-19-year-old made a significant mark on the international stage in 2023 with an eye-catching victory over the world number one and multiple-world champion, Fan Zhendong, at the WTT Champions tournament in Macau. In this memorable match, the young Frenchman displayed nerves of steel, eliminating the tournament favourite despite vocal support backing the Chinese player to reach the semi-final.
Table tennis is a family affair for the French standout. Along with his younger brother Félix, who is also a prodigy in the sport, he followed in the footsteps of their father, Stéphane Lebrun, a former French doubles champion. His uncle, Christophe Legoût, is also a former member of the French national team. The Lebrun brothers grew up surrounded by paddles from an early age and naturally were destined for a career in the discipline.
With a strong support system and family guidance, Lebrun quickly made his marks in the table tennis circuit. His journey began at the junior level, where he won the French junior table tennis champion title in both 2020 and 2021. Transitioning to the senior level, Lebrun steadily rose up the ranks and achieved a position in the top 30 worldwide by 2023. His achievements include winning three back-to-back French national championships, including defeating his younger brother to claim the crown in both 2023 and 2024.
Alexis Lebrun's European success
On the continental stage, Lebrun won bronze in the individual event at the 2023 European Games in Krakow and also in teams alongside his brother. He added another bronze medal at the 2023 European Team Championships in Malmö, where France reached the semi-final, only losing to the host and eventual winner of the competition, Sweden.
In October 2023, he won his first doubles with his brother at the WTT Star Contender Lanzhou. The friendly rivalry between the brothers has been instrumental in driving each other to success. In the same year, Félix surpassed his brother in the world rankings, entering the top 10 to become the number one French player, but the older Lebrun only saw it as added motivation.
"Obviously, we had a lot of laughs about it. Especially since he passed me in front of me in the world ranking, I still remind him that my best world ranking was better than his. We like to relax, so that pushes us up. Now I'm going to try to fight to get back in front of him, and he's going to try to fight to continue to be in front, and we're going to continue like this until we go as high as possible," the older of the Lebrun said.
The pair have their eyes set on Paris 2024, a dream tournament and a chance to shine at the international level, making table tennis a true family affair for the Lebruns.