France qualified four players across the singles and mixed doubles draws for the tournament’s semi-finals at the Arena Grand Paris, according to tournament reports from FFBAD.
Alex Lanier and Christo Popov Advance in Men’s Singles
In a 100% French quarter-final clash on Friday, fifth-seeded Alex Lanier defeated thirteenth-seeded Toma Junior Popov to reach the final four of a Super 750 event for the first time. The match lasted one hour and 17 minutes, ending with a score of 16/21, 21/16, 21/16 in favor of the world champion. Their previous meeting took place in March during the Orléans Masters Super 300 final, where Lanier also won in two straight sets.
Following Lanier’s victory, third-seeded Christo Popov secured his own semi-final spot by defeating Japan’s ninth-seeded Kodai Naraoka 21/15, 21/16. The fixture highlighted a contrast in court fatigue: Naraoka entered the match having spent only 37 minutes on court due to early-round walkovers and retirements, while the French player had accumulated 210 minutes of competitive play earlier in the week. Despite the heavy workload, Popov controlled the pace to advance.
Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue Reach Mixed Doubles Semis
In the mixed doubles draw, fourth-seeded Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue battled through a three-set quarter-final against Taiwan’s Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin, ranked 30th. After dropping a tight opening set 21/23—marking the only set the French pair conceded across the tournament so far—they rebounded decisively to take the next two sets 21/12, 21/14. The victory marks their first semi-final appearance at the Yonex IFB.
Upcoming Semi-Final Schedule at Arena Grand Paris
The semi-final fixtures for the French contenders are scheduled as follows, broadcast live on the L’Équipe channel and L’Équipe Live:
- 12:00: Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (n°4, France) versus Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping (n°1, China)
- 17:20: Alex Lanier (n°5, France) versus Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah (n°28, Indonesia)
- 19:00: Christo Popov (n°3, France) versus Hu Zhe An (n°32, China)
Worth a look
