Just two weeks after his coronation at the World Tour Finals, Christo Popov had a more difficult return to competition. The Frenchman lost in the first round of the Malaysian Open (Super 1000) this Tuesday, against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, after a match played in three sets (21-13, 19-21, 21-23).
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฬ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ @popov_christo ๐๐ญ @toma_junior_popov ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐. The brothers lost in 3 sets in the first round of #MalaysiaOpen ๐
A narrow defeat for Christo (21/13 19/21 21/23), Tomi gave in in the 3rd set (14/21 21/14 5/21).
๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ pic.twitter.com/TVHEPE6L4J
โ FFBaD (@FFBaD) January 6, 2026
A status to assume for the new French number one
Having recently become the best Habs in the world rankings โ he now occupies 7th place, just ahead of Alex Lanier โ Christo Popov approached this tournament with a new status. In Kuala Lumpur, the player from Fos-sur-Mer long believed he could continue after his prestigious title, but he ended up giving in to the 18th in the world.
The start of the meeting was nevertheless promising. Very enterprising, Popov scored five consecutive points to quickly gain the upper hand. After a slight period of hesitation allowing Lee Cheuk Yiu to come back to level (5-5), the Frenchman was able to raise his voice, accelerate the game and take off to win the first round without trembling.
Declining precision in key moments
The dynamic then reversed. More tight, the second set highlighted some inaccuracies from the Frenchman, particularly in attack, with several shuttlecocks hitting the net. While he was still leading 17-12, Popov saw his opponent gradually catching up. Under pressure, the Habs showed feverishness and failed to conclude, letting the set slip away.
In the decisive round, Christo Popov initially struggled to find his rhythm. However, he took a slight advantage just before the interval (11-10), by varying the game further and pushing his opponent back to the baseline. But, as in the previous set, he failed to manage the end of the match. Lee Cheuk Yiu, coming back from 13-17 to 17-17, then took the upper hand thanks to increasing aggression, concluding a breathtaking end to the match to the detriment of the Frenchman.
The day was just as complicated for Toma Junior Popov. Engaged on another court at the same time as his younger brother, the 15th player in the world failed to bounce back after a disappointing European tour. Opposed to the Japanese Kenta Nishimoto (14th), he lost in three sets (14-21, 21-14, 5-21).
Despite a burst of pride in the second set, snatched with authority, Toma Junior Popov completely collapsed in the decisive round, suffering a heavy setback which ended his journey in the first round.
A complicated recovery for the Popov brothers
This early double elimination highlights the difficulty of moving on after intense weeks on the international circuit. For Christo Popov, as for his older brother, the Malaysian Open will have served as a reminder of the demands of the very high level, while the season continues with other major events to come on the world circuit.
