The match is difficult to start for the French Champions. Asphyxiated by Malaysian attacks, our Blues often find themselves in a defense position, which hardly enchants them. To this are added a few mistakes and a rope broken by Thom on a smash and here they are having to run behind the scoring. The French are led 8/11 at the break but the Malaysians are too impatient. Several Smashs de Chen crash into the net, allowing the French to pick up the 12/12 score. The end of the set is unbreathable for the adidas Arena audience, which displays complete today. Sometimes the French are led, sometimes they equalize, to be carried out again. This race after the score leads the two pairs to 18/17 for Chen and Toh. Finally, after a Smash in Delphine’s net, the French must leave the first set to their opponent: 18/21.
The second set follows the same scheme: French led but not yet defeated. Thom and Delphine, aggressive, manage to grab a few points but commit too many mistakes, letting their opponents get ahead and lead 11/7 to the break. Helped by the crowd’s Hourras, the Blues do not leave themselves more but struggle to pick up the score. This 4 -point gap lasts throughout the set. At 20/16 for the Malaysians, the French public still wants to believe it and continues to proclaim the names of his heroes but it is indeed Chen and Toh who won 12/21 21/16.
Thom and Delphine are therefore satisfied with bronze but have marked their imprint the history of French badminton by bringing the very first world medal for a French pair.
Delphine DELRUE : “We are disappointed to have lost not to have managed to control our frills as we wanted but we still made a beautiful match. […] Entrance to the field today was incredible. It was better and better every day, there were a lot of people and noise and it is precisely these moments that we want to keep in mind because it was really incredible. […] It was a first step on the way to Los Angeles 2028. ”
Thom Gicquel: “They were solid, especially she who made a perfect match. I think they were better today than us. We can be disappointed with our two beginnings of sets because after it was hard to catch up. We tried to fight to the end and there were small moments when we had the advantage but it never lasted. […] I think they had more or less the same style of play and the same tactic as us, it’s just that it was better. […] I was less stressed than yesterday, I think we were good, we were focused, we wanted to do well but they were just better. […] I hope that what we have managed this week will create vocations and make young people want to start. It gives hope for the future.”
The Malaysians will compete tomorrow the first world final for a pair of Malaysian mixed, against the Chinese Jiang/Wei (n ° 2).
