The quarterfinals proved to be the final stop for Christo Popov at the India Open. In a tight encounter with Jonatan Christie, the Frenchman lost 21–19, 21–19 to a well-playing Christie.

Although Christo Popov does not feel he performed at his very best in India, he was still pleased and proud of the fight he showed on court.

“Today was a good match, maybe not the best level-wise, but I was fighting on court with everything I had and almost got it into three sets, even though I struggled a lot today. There are good things and bad things from this match, but I’m pretty happy with the way I fought,” Popov said.

After Popov’s big victory at the World Tour Finals and with a world ranking of number seven, the young Frenchman now finds himself in a new and unfamiliar position—often being the favourite when he steps onto the court, even at the biggest tournaments.

“I think now they (his opponents) are taking me on more relaxed.... now they are taking me as the favourite on paper and are really relaxed.I will definately need now to work on being many times now the favourite on paper and on court, I need to manage that.” he added.

There will be no chance to follow Christo Popov in Indonesia next week, as he will not be competing in that tournament.