by Simon Daish

Placed at the summit of the Men’s Singles seeding list Simon Gauzy unsurprisingly heads to Le Mans as the gold medal favourite and will take some beating if he is to be stopped at the tournament scheduled for the weekend of Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd March.

Positioned at no.31 in February 2019’s rankings list but a fixture in the world top 30 for 35 consecutive months from February 2016 to December 2018, Simon Gauzy to this day remains the top ranked French player in the men’s game.

Boasting a wealth of experience on the international stage Gauzy has represented his country at the World Championships and Men’s World Cup with two other highlight moments coming at the 2016 European Championships and 2017 ITTF World Tour Australian Open where he achieved silver medal finishes.

However, while Gauzy will fancy his chances in Le Mans the task most certainly won’t be a straightforward one with the likes of 2016 European champion Emmanuel Lebesson and Tristan Flore, both former national champions themselves, set to serve up a serious challenge.

Another name that must be mentioned in the title race is Alexandre Robinot, he is after all the defending champion and won’t be wanting to part ways with the trophy anytime soon.

Regardless of who comes away with silverware in their possession the 2019 French National Championships promises to excite with spectators heading to Le Mans set for plenty of entertainment.