Felix Lebrun fights back from 3-2 down to beat Kallberg and complete European Championships golden double

Felix Lebrun left the 2026 European Table Tennis Championships with two gold medals. The 20-year-old French top seed beat Sweden's Anton Kallberg 4-3 in the men's singles final at Arena Stozice in Ljubljana on Sunday 18 October, recovering from 3-2 down to win the last two games. A day earlier, he and brother Alexis had retained the men's doubles title.

A final that swung late

Kallberg took the opening game 11-7 and was the sharper player for long stretches. Lebrun replied 11-9 and edged a tight third game 13-11, but the Swede won the fourth 11-8 and the fifth 11-9 to move one game from the title.

From there, the match turned completely. Lebrun began playing more freely and attacking earlier in rallies, and Kallberg had no answer. The Frenchman took the sixth game 11-6 and then ran away with the decider 11-1.

The full score was 7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1 in Lebrun's favour.

A family affair at the top of Europe

The title keeps the European men's singles crown in the Lebrun household. Alexis won it in Linz in 2024, but his defence ended in the quarter-finals this week against Germany's Dang Qiu, the 2022 champion.

The brothers had already taken gold together on Saturday, beating Kallberg and fellow Swede Kristian Karlsson 3-2 in the men's doubles final. That defeat meant Kallberg finished the week with two silver medals, although his run to the singles final was a career best: it was his first European men's singles semi-final and final, and his first medal in the event.

The semi-finals and a record-breaking qualifier

Lebrun's semi-final was against compatriot Leo de Nodrest, who produced the story of the tournament. Seeded 67th, De Nodrest had to come through the qualification groups, then knocked out Slovenia's Darko Jorgic in the round of 16 in front of a home crowd and beat Germany's Benedikt Duda in seven games in the quarter-finals.

According to the European Table Tennis Union, De Nodrest became the first men's qualifier to reach the singles semi-finals since the qualification-group format was introduced in 2012. He pushed Lebrun hard, winning two of the first three games, before Lebrun prevailed 4-2, taking the sixth game 14-12.

In the other semi-final, Kallberg beat Qiu 4-2 after trailing two games to one. De Nodrest and Qiu share the bronze medals.

Why it matters

Lebrun has been one of the most talked-about young players in the sport for several years, and this is his first senior European singles title. Winning both the doubles and the singles in the same week underlines how quickly he has become the leading figure in European men's table tennis.

For Asian fans used to Chinese dominance on the world stage, the week was also a reminder of France's growing depth: the French contingent produced the champion, the record-breaking qualifier and the defending champion who fell in the quarter-finals.

Key takeaways

• Felix Lebrun beat Anton Kallberg 4-3 in the European men's singles final on 18 October, winning the last two games 11-6 and 11-1.
• Lebrun also won the men's doubles with brother Alexis, beating Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson 3-2.
• Qualifier Leo de Nodrest, seeded 67th, reached the semi-finals, a first for a men's qualifier since 2012.
• Dang Qiu, who beat defending champion Alexis Lebrun, took bronze alongside De Nodrest.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 European men's singles table tennis title? France's Felix Lebrun won it, beating Sweden's Anton Kallberg 4-3 in the final in Ljubljana on 18 October 2026.

What was Felix Lebrun's golden double? He won two gold medals at the same championships: the men's doubles with his brother Alexis on 17 October and the men's singles on 18 October.

Who won bronze in the men's singles? The beaten semi-finalists, France's Leo de Nodrest and Germany's Dang Qiu, both received bronze medals. There is no third-place play-off.

Sources: European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), PingSunday, Table Tennis Daily