French badminton is soaring! Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, the world’s No.2 mixed doubles pair, have punched their ticket to the final of the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025, a prestigious Super 500 event on the BWF circuit. After an absolutely dominant week, the French duo secured their spot in the BWF World Tour Finals, showcasing astonishing performance in this $475,000 Japanese tournament. Get ready for an electrifying final this Sunday against the formidable Thai duo, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran, who are the undisputed leaders in the discipline.
A Flawless Run: From Revenge to Total Domination
The Gicquel-Delrue partnership, already a finalist here in 2024, kicked off their campaign in the Round of 16 on Thursday with a bang. Facing the Taiwanese pair Chen Ching-kuan and Hsu Yin-hui, the French duo had to dig deep, ultimately clinching a hard-fought victory in two tight sets. This initial challenge, overcome with sheer grit, set the stage for an offensive masterclass.
Friday brought the highly anticipated rematch in the quarterfinals. Matched against the Danish pair Mathias Christiansen and alexandra Bøje – who had bested them twice recently at the French Open and German Open – Gicquel and Delrue flipped the script in an intense three-set thriller (21-15, 13-21, 21-15). It was all about mentality,
delrue shared post-match. We managed to stay solid in the third set, and it feels fantastic to get our revenge.
This 56-minute triumph not only propelled them into the semifinals but also officially clinched their spot in the World Tour finals this December, where the top eight pairs of the year will battle it out.
Saturday’s semifinal saw the French pair display absolute mastery against Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan (TPE, No.7), whom they had narrowly defeated at the World Championships in August. This time, there was no room for error: a swift, decisive victory in straight sets (21-17, 21-12) in just 35 minutes. Their perfect synergy and relentless aggression at the net were on full display.Thom Gicquel’s powerful smashes and Delphine Delrue’s cunning net play captivated the excited japanese crowd.
The Final Showdown: A Duel at the Top Against Undefeated Thais
The final sets up a dream matchup between the French sensations and the world No. 1 Thai duo,Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran,who are the tournament favorites. This seasoned Thai pair, competing in their eighth final of the year, has bulldozed their way through their side of the draw, including a dominant semifinal performance against the Japanese Koga/Matsutomo.
However, Gicquel and Delrue, fueled by their incredible momentum and a burning desire for redemption, are not planning on going down without a fight. It’s a dream final against the best in the world,
Gicquel commented. We’ve improved our defense, and we’re going to play with freedom, aiming to win this title.
A gold medal would be a massive achievement for the French pair, solidifying their top-8 world ranking and capping off an exceptional year.
The championship match is slated for this Sunday at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, with the action set to begin around 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. in France).
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