Lebrun brothers retain European doubles crown from 0-3 down in the decider as Bajor and Kukulkova win gold

France's Alexis and Felix Lebrun are European men's doubles champions again. On Saturday 17 October at Arena Stozice in Ljubljana, the brothers beat Sweden's Kristian Karlsson and Anton Kallberg 3-2 (5-11, 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8), winning the deciding game after trailing 3-0. Earlier the same evening, Slovakia's Tatiana Kukulkova and Poland's Natalia Bajor won the women's doubles title, beating Poland's Zuzanna Wielgos and Anna Brzyska 3-0.

A comeback in the fifth game

The Swedes took control early, winning the opening game 11-5. The Lebruns took the next two, but Karlsson and Kallberg levelled the match by winning the fourth 11-7. They then went 3-0 up in the decider before the French pair won 11 of the next 16 points to take the title.

Swedish outlet Sweden Herald quoted Kallberg as saying it "feels very sad" that he and Karlsson could not finish the job. The defeat came only hours after Kallberg won his singles quarter-final, which guaranteed him his first European men's singles medal.

Joining Boll and Suss in the record books

The Lebruns won bronze in Munich in 2022 and gold in Linz in 2024. According to the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), they are only the second pair to defend the European men's doubles title. Germany's Timo Boll and Christian Suss were the first, with four titles in a row from 2007 to 2010.

On the way to the final, the brothers came through a five-game quarter-final against Finland's Alex Naumi and Benedek Olah, then beat fellow French players Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud 3-0 in the semi-finals. Dorr and Bourrassaud took bronze, as did Moldova's Vladislav Ursu and Andrei Putuntica, who lost their semi-final 3-0 to the Swedes.

Karlsson's silver takes his European Championships total to ten medals, according to the ETTU: one gold, three silver and six bronze. It has still been a mixed week for Alexis Lebrun. He won mixed doubles silver with Charlotte Lutz on Friday and lost his men's singles title to Germany's Dang Qiu in the quarter-finals.

Bajor and Kukulkova finally win gold

The women's final was closer than the 3-0 score suggests. Bajor and Kukulkova won the first game 14-12 after Wielgos and Brzyska had two game points, then also recovered from 5-9 down in a later game. They reached the final by beating Romania's Bernadette Szocs and Elizabeta Samara 3-0 (13-11, 11-6, 11-7). Wielgos and Brzyska had knocked out Germany's Annett Kaufmann and Nina Mittelham 3-2. The German and Romanian pairs both took bronze.

The win makes up for some near misses. Bajor and Kukulkova won bronze at the previous Europeans in Linz and lost a semi-final in 2024 after holding match point. The ETTU said the title is Slovakia's second European Championships gold in any event, after Barbora Balazova and Hana Matelova won the women's doubles in 2024. It is also Poland's first women's doubles title. Bajor said the pair had decided only a month earlier to keep playing together, because doubles is now part of the Olympic programme.

Singles medals decided on Sunday

The championships finish on Sunday 18 October with the singles semi-finals and finals. The men's semi-finals are Felix Lebrun against Leo De Nodrest, an all-French tie, and Dang Qiu against Kallberg. In the women's draw, Nina Mittelham meets fellow German Annett Kaufmann, while France's Prithika Pavade plays Elizabet Abraamian. Ljubljana is six hours behind Malaysia. Outside territories with a TV rights deal, matches stream on the ETTU's YouTube channel.

Key takeaways

• Alexis and Felix Lebrun beat Karlsson and Kallberg 3-2, winning the decider 11-8 after trailing 3-0.
• They are only the second pair to retain the European men's doubles title, after Boll and Suss.
• Bajor and Kukulkova beat Wielgos and Brzyska 3-0 for their first European women's doubles gold.
• The singles semi-finals and finals are on Sunday 18 October in Ljubljana.

FAQ

Who won the men's doubles at the 2026 European Table Tennis Championships? France's Alexis and Felix Lebrun. They beat Sweden's Kristian Karlsson and Anton Kallberg 3-2 in the final on 17 October.

Who won the women's doubles title in Ljubljana? Tatiana Kukulkova (Slovakia) and Natalia Bajor (Poland). They beat Poland's Zuzanna Wielgos and Anna Brzyska 3-0.

How can fans in Malaysia watch the rest of the championships? The ETTU streams matches on its YouTube channel in territories without a broadcast deal. Ljubljana is six hours behind Malaysia.

Sources: European Table Tennis Union, Sweden Herald, Tennis2Table, Equipe-France