Pavade and Alexis Lebrun reclaim French national singles titles in Laval

Prithika Pavade and Félix Lebrun left Laval with the two singles trophies that define French table tennis, but they arrived there by very different roads. Pavade had to claw back to the top after years without a final, while Félix treated retention as the new standard, beating his older brother Alexis in another tight chapter of their rivalry.

The 2026 French Championships ran from June 12 to June 14 at Espace Mayenne and drew nearly 13,000 spectators over three days, a turnout that gave the meet the feel of a national showcase rather than a routine domestic stop. The Fédération Française de Tennis de Table said five national titles were awarded, and France Télévisions carried coverage that pushed the finals beyond the usual table tennis audience. The federation also billed Laval as the return of the country’s most prestigious table tennis event to Mayenne.

Pavade, the top seed and world No. 31, reclaimed the women’s singles crown with a dramatic seven-game win over Isa Cok. She started fast with an 11-3 opening game, then lost control as Cok moved ahead 2-1. Pavade steadied herself late and closed out the decider 11-4 for her second French national singles title, four years after her first in 2022. The result mattered beyond the bracket: after several seasons without reaching the final, Pavade looked again like the player setting the domestic standard.

Félix Lebrun’s men’s final carried a different kind of pressure. The defending champion went up two games against Alexis Lebrun, then had to survive the surge that forced the match deep into the sixth-game finish. Félix sealed it 12-10 to retain his crown, extending the line that began with his first French national singles title in 2025 after back-to-back final defeats to Alexis in 2023 and 2024. In French table tennis, that shift matters: Félix is no longer chasing proof at home. He is expected to hold it.

The rest of the weekend reinforced that message. Nina Guo Zheng and Léana Hochart won the women’s doubles after coming from 0-2 down and saving match point before taking the decider 12-10. Jules Rolland and Léo De Nodrest also rallied from two games down to beat Félix Lebrun and Grégoire Jean for the men’s doubles title. Pavade added the mixed doubles crown with Can Akkuzu, their first title together, after they dropped the opening game against Léana Hochart and Thibault Poret. By the end, Laval had delivered more than a set of national champions. It had shown which names are ready to carry French table tennis into bigger international arenas.