The Frenchman Christo Popov became this Saturday the first French tennis player to qualify for the final of the World Tour Finals (the equivalent of the Masters in tennis), thanks to his victory in two sets over the Japanese Naraoka.
After tennis in Turin and table tennis in Hong Kong, badminton is organizing its tournament this week bringing together the best players of the season. The BWF Finals take place in Hangzhou, China, with the eight best players of this year 2025, with a limit of two players per country. And the French Christo Popov, world No. 8, will compete in the final this Sunday, a first for a French badista!
Winner of his group with three victories in three matches, the 23-year-old challenged world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka in the semi-final, who led 3-1 in their confrontations, and he won in two sets: 21-19, 21-8. The two rounds were totally different. In the first, the two players took the lead in turn, and while he was trailing 17-16, the Frenchman won four points in a row to break away, and finally pocket the set on his second opportunity. In the second, Popov started with a 7-0, then his opponent came back to 13-5, before conceding a 5-0. The Frenchman ultimately left his opponent with only eight points and won on his first match point.
A final against a big name
“This morning, when I woke up, I was very tired,” Popov admitted on the International Federation website. I was preparing for a long match against Kodai, knowing his style of play. The first set was crucial: his length and winning gave me confidence for the second, and I adopted a more aggressive strategy. He made more mistakes and I took a big advantage from the start. Participating in these Finals was already a new thing for me, so every day is a new thing. I’m very happy to play well. I’m happy to be healthy, almost pain free, which is positive. For now, everything is positive. My main goal was to get out of the group stages, which would have been a major achievement for me. Now that I’m in the final, I’m delighted. But I also had a long period without competition, and that allowed me to come back this week to compete against the best players and measure ourselves against the best, to see where we are and prepare for next season. »
If he wants to achieve the greatest victory of his career, Christo Popov will have to beat in the final the number 1 (the Chinese Shi) or the world number 2 (the Thai Vitidsarn), who face each other in the semi-finals.
