Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue failed to ward off fate. For the fourth time in as many confrontations on the international circuit, the French pair lost to the Danes Amalie Magelund and Jesper Toft this Wednesday, in the first round of the Malaysian Open (Super 1000). At the end of a three-set match (21-13, 17-21, 21-9), the Blues left Kuala Lumpur prematurely and will have to quickly remobilize before the Indian Open, where they will face the same opponents as soon as they enter the fray.
🚨🫣 The year 2026 is off to a bad start for Breton badista Thom Gicquel and his doubles partner Delphine Delrue: the French mixed doubles was eliminated at the start of the Malaysian Open 👇https://t.co/RaaRsZRk8A
— Le Télégramme Sport (@TelegrammeSport) January 7, 2026
A one-sided start to the match
From the first exchanges, the French were put in difficulty by the Danish strategy, and in particular by the long serves of Jesper Toft. Completely destabilized, Gicquel and Delrue conceded a quick lead (7-2) which they never managed to make up for. Despite a stated desire to take the net and put pressure at the front of the court to limit the offensive impact of Toft, impressive by his size (2 m), the Tricolores multiplied the length errors. Too imprecise, they let the first set slip away without any real reaction (21-13).
The start before the relapse
We had to wait until the second set to see the French pair, fifth in the world, really enter their match. In the second third of the round, Gicquel and Delrue took the upper hand (7-5), finally playing their game and imposing more rhythm. This burst allowed them to snatch the set (17-21) and take the Danes into a decisive third round.
But the hope was short-lived. From the start of the last set, the mistakes returned on the French side. Dominated in all areas of the game, the Blues quickly lost their footing, leaving Magelund and Toft to play unopposed. The set turned into a Danish demonstration, concluded with a severe 21-9, synonymous with elimination for the French.
An expected revenge in India
This new defeat confirms the recurring difficulties of Gicquel and Delrue against the Danish pair, still undefeated against them on the circuit. The Tricolores will, however, have the opportunity to take their revenge next week. Entering the Indian Open, they will once again cross paths with Magelund and Toft, ranked 11th in the world, for their entry into the running. An already highly anticipated match, which could allow the French to turn the page on this dark series.
