Last year, Alex Lanier made history by becoming the first French men’s singles player to win a Super 750 tournament when he shocked the field and stood on top of the podium at the Japan Open. Over the past year, Lanier has become a familiar face in the final stages of major events. But this time in Tokyo, he’s not alone, France has two contenders in the race for Sunday’s gold.
Christo Popov has just secured a huge win over home favourite Kodai Naraoka in a marathon match lasting 1 hour and 22 minutes. Naraoka started strong and held a solid lead towards the end of the first game before Popov pulled even at 18-18. Even then, the Japanese star appeared fatigued, and was shown a yellow card by Estonian umpire Iris Metspalu for time-wasting. Still, Naraoka managed to close out the game 21-18.
The tide shifted after the interval in the second game. Naraoka led 11-10, but from that point on, Popov took full control. While the Japanese player continued to struggle physically, Popov looked sharp and relentless, using quick pace changes and playing with remarkable consistency. He took the second and third games 21-13, 21-8 and booked his place in the semifinal, where he will face Shi Yu Qi. The Chinese star defeated Wang Tzu Wei earlier today and has looked solid throughout the tournament. The head-to-head between Popov and Shi stands at 1–1, but Shi came out on top in their most recent encounter at the 2024 French Open.
Earlier in the day, Lanier delivered a composed and confident performance to beat Chi Yu Jen from Chinese Taipei 21-16, 21-14. Lanier was in control for most of the match and never allowed his opponent to find rhythm. In the semifinal, he will face Japan’s Koki Watanabe, who will have the home crowd behind him. Watanabe leads their head-to-head 2–1, most recently defeating Lanier in the semifinal of the 2024 Denmark Open — a tournament later won by Denmark’s Anders Antonsen.
As the only two Europeans left in the draw, all eyes will now be on the French stars, hoping one of them can go all the way and lift the trophy in Tokyo.
