It’s a familiar feeling for French pair Thom Gicquel/ Delphine Delrue after securing a repeat of last year’s mixed doubles final at the Japan Masters.
There is a theme of revenge on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Gicquel/ Delrue were given an immediate opportunity to face Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen/ Alexandra Bøje, the pair who beat them in France and then in the HYLO Open final, and they took it.
In today’s semifinal, they faced the Chinese Taipei pair of Ye Hong Wei/ Nicole Gonzales Chan. The speedy front court play of Chan and the hard-hitting left-hander Ye caused Gicquel/ Delrue problems at the Adidas Arena in August for the World Championships. This time around, however, it was an assured, defensively sound performance, winning 21-17, 21-12 in just 35 minutes.
Now they have a golden chance to overturn the result from last year’s final against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/ Supissara Paewsampran who took the crown from right in front of them. It was a gutting blow at the time as Gicquel/ Delrue were still hunting a first World Tour title since the Swiss Open in 2021.
This time it’s a different vibe for the French pair who are having their best year yet. The world bronze medallists on home soil have since won the Indonesia Open, a Super 1000 title, defeating Puavaranukroh/ Paewsampran in that final. So perhaps it is the Thai pair who will be seeking redemption in tomorrow’s clash.
It’s the eighth final of 2025 for Puavaranukroh/ Paewsampran, who lead the head-to-head 2-1 and sit proudly at the top of the race to the BWF World Tour Finals, however, Gicquel/ Delrue are hitting good form and will be eager to continue their momentum.
