Christo Popov saw his run at the Masters de Chine 2026 come to an end in the semifinals on Saturday, falling in straight sets to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yu at the Super 750 tournament in Shenzhen, China. The French badminton player was beaten 15-21, 19-21 in a hard-fought encounter that also cost him a prime opportunity to claim the world number one ranking.
How Lee Cheuk Yu Outpaced Christo Popov in Shenzhen
The match began as a tight tactical battle, with both players trading points evenly up to 11-11 in the opening game. According to tournament reports, Lee Cheuk Yu (ranked No. 25 globally) gradually seized control of the pace through an aggressive offensive strategy. Popov struggled to settle into the specific playing conditions inside the arena, allowing Lee to pull away and capture the first set 21-15.
Down a game, the European champion adjusted his approach in the second frame. Shifting toward longer rallies and deploying his defensive resilience, Popov clawed his way back into contention, narrowing the deficit to a razor-thin 18-19. However, Lee held his nerve during the closing exchanges, sealing the 21-19 victory to book his ticket to the final.
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Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title match, Popov reflected constructively on his overall tournament performance. Speaking to the press after his exit, the French player dismissed the notion that the weight of the world number one ranking had affected his focus on the court.
“Pas du tout,” the European champion said when asked if the ranking pressure played a role. “Au final, ça ne se joue à rien entre les cinq ou six premiers du classement. Je ne pense pas à ça parce que tout peut changer en une, deux ou trois semaines. Là, c’était vraiment le match. Mon adversaire a fait un bon parcours, il a un peu surfé sur la vague, donc bien joué à lui.”
Broader Implications and Ranking Context
Entering the tournament as the world No. 2, Popov carried a golden opportunity to ascend to the summit of international men’s singles badminton. While the semifinal defeat temporarily halts that ascent, the French contingent’s campaign in Shenzhen showcased encouraging overall form following a challenging early exit at the World Championships.
Popov noted the shifting expectations surrounding his career trajectory. “Ça reste une demi-finale de Super 750,” he observed. “Malgré la déception, c’est un bon résultat. Si je remonte à deux ou trois ans en arrière, une demi-finale aurait été un exploit. Aujourd’hui, c’est limite une contre-performance, donc c’est qu’on avance sur le bon chemin.”
Mixed Results for the French Delegation in China
Popov’s elimination capped a busy week for the wider French squad in Shenzhen. Earlier in the tournament, his brother Toma Junior Popov (ranked No. 15) suffered a narrow second-round exit at the hands of Lee Cheuk Yiu, in a thriller that finished 19-21, 24-22. In the men’s doubles draw, the Popov brothers reached the same stage before falling to India’s fifth-ranked pair, Rankireddy/Shetty, by a scoreline of 17-21, 24-22, 9-21.
In mixed doubles competition, the French pairs Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue alongside Julien Maio and Léa Palermo exited in the opening round, dropping matches to Chinese Taipei’s Liu/Hsu and China’s Gao/Wu respectively.
Popov and the rest of the international circuit will now turn their attention toward upcoming stops as the race for ranking points intensifies toward the end of the season.
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