Alex Lanier Advances as French Players Experience Mixed Results at Denmark Open

French badminton players experienced contrasting results on Tuesday, October 13, at the Denmark Open in Odense, where world champion Alex Lanier and mixed doubles top pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue advanced while teammates exited in early rounds.

For his first match since claiming the world title on August 23 in New Delhi, Alex Lanier defeated China’s Hu Zhe An, ranked 32nd in the world, in straight sets 21-18, 21-13 in 49 minutes, according to equipe-france.fr. Playing his opening tournament in nearly two months, the 21-year-old Frenchman and world number 8 shook off a contested opening frame to control the second and secure a place in the round of sixteen.

Lanier Advances to Face Srikanth in Odense

Lanier will next face India’s Kidambi Srikanth in the Super 750 tournament. Srikanth earned his spot by defeating another French singles competitor, Arnaud Merklé, in a closely contested encounter that ended 20-22, 19-21.

Merklé pushed the exchanges past the 20-point mark in the opening set and stayed within reach throughout the second before Srikanth closed out the decisive moments. The result sets up an upcoming meeting between the Indian veteran and the French world champion in the next stage of the draw.

Gicquel and Delrue Overcome Early Deficit in Mixed Doubles

In mixed doubles, reigning world champions Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue recovered from a slow start to defeat South Korea’s Jang Ha-jeong and Kim Jae-hyeon 19-21, 21-19, 21-13. The French pair dropped the first set and fell behind 4-0 in the second before mounting a comeback to level the score at 16-16 and force a decider.

Having secured the second frame, Gicquel and Delrue accelerated in the final set to take command of the match. They advance to face Japan’s Natsu Saito and Akira Koga on Thursday.

Popov Brothers Bow Out in Men’s Doubles Opener

The opening day proved less successful for Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov in the men’s doubles draw. The French pair fell to Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi in straight games, 21-14, 21-18.

The Popov brothers held an 8-4 lead early in the first game before their opponents mounted a comeback capped by five consecutive points. A similar shift occurred in the second set, where the French duo led 16-18 before conceding another five-point run that ended the match. Both brothers remain scheduled to compete in the men’s singles draw.