Delphine Delrue and Thom Gicquel secured their place in the mixed doubles final of the Hylo Open on Saturday in Saarbrücken, Germany, defeating Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing in a tense three-set match.
Semifinal Battle Against Hoo and Lai
The French pair triumphed 22-20, 16-21, 21-17 after an intense encounter lasting one hour and ten minutes. Ranked third in the world, the world champions had to battle past their 24th-ranked opponents to advance to the title match of the Super 500 tournament. The victory marks a strong rebound for Delrue and Gicquel just a week after their semifinal exit at the French Open.
Chasing a Third Title in Saarbrücken
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, the French duo will face the Danish pairing of Jesper Toft and Amalie Cecilie Kudsk. Having already captured the Orléans Masters Super 300 title and the world championship crown earlier this season, Delrue and Gicquel enter the match with a third trophy within reach. The final is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. local time and will be broadcast live.
Mixed Results for Other French Competitors
The rest of the French delegation experienced a tougher day in the semifinals across other draws. In men’s singles, 13th-ranked Toma Junior Popov fell to India’s Lakshya Sen, ranked 14th globally, in straight sets with scores of 21-17 and 21-13. Meanwhile, the men’s doubles team of Julien Maïo and William Villeger pushed ninth-ranked English opponents Ben Lane and Sean Vendy to three sets before bowing out 21-13, 18-21, 21-16. Despite the losses, Maïo and Villeger’s run highlighted a productive week for the French contingent before Delrue and Gicquel stepped into the spotlight as the last remaining title contenders.
WE ARE GOING TO A DECIDER! 🇲🇾 Hoo / Lai 20–22, 21–16 Gicquel / Delrue 🇫🇷 (1–1) 📍 HYLO Open 2026 — Mixed Doubles Semifinal The Malaysian duo bounces back in style! After dropping a nail-biting opening set 20-22, Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing storm back to take the second game… pic.twitter.com/CQeP3Wu3RM
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