JAKARTA – Men’s badminton player Christo Popov defeated host Shi Yuqi to make history by becoming the first French representative to reach the podium of the BWF World Tour Finals.
Popov reached the highest podium of the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 by winning two straight sets 21-19 and 21-9 in a match that was not as dramatic in Hangzhou, China, Sunday, December 21, 2025.
Aside from making history, Popov also had an incredible journey during the tournament. In the qualifying group, he won all three matches, including defeating Indonesian representative Jonatan Christie.
“I am very happy and the winning record during the tournament also makes more sense,” Popov said, as reported by the official BWF website.
The group’s three matches were played in three sets. After passing the preliminary round, Popov then defeated Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the semifinals in straight sets to meet Shi Yuqi.
Previously, no French badminton player had ever won a tournament of this scale. This achievement surpasses Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue’s victory at the Indonesia Open earlier this year and Alex Lanier’s victory at the Japan Open in 2024.
For Popov, whose best performance was at the Super 300 level, the World Tour Finals title is a rookie’s dream among the world’s top eight players. This result in China also confirms that he is now in the category of elite players.
“Every match is very difficult. I’m glad I didn’t give up in the final moments. I am very happy with the effort and energy I put into the field,” Popov said.
From this tournament, South Korea managed to emerge as overall champion with three titles. They won the title in the women’s sector by An Se-young, the men’s doubles by Kim Won-ho / Seo Seung-jae, and another title belongs to Baek Ha-na / Lee So-hee.
On the other hand, the mixed doubles title was won by the host pair Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping. They beat their compatriots Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin.
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