There was so much success for European players today, and there’s plenty to look forward to in tomorrow’s semifinals at the YONEX French Open 2025.
There were two all-European clashes today. The first one took place in the morning session, with Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje continuing their strong run this week. The Danish duo faced Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue, who were hoping to leave their mark on home soil. They last met at the 2024 European Championships, where the French pair won and lead the head-to-head. But today, Christiansen and Bøje delivered a brilliant performance, winning the match in straight games, 21-16 21-18.
Tomorrow, they’ll face third seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran in the semifinals. It won’t be easy, but considering the pairs they’ve already taken out this week, who’s to say they can’t do it again and reach the final?
The other all-European clash was also an all-Danish battle, with two of the sport’s biggest stars, Anders Antonsen and Viktor Axelsen. This was their eleventh meeting on the World Tour. Despite Axelsen’s strong performance last week on home soil in Odense, this time Antonsen was stronger. The match went to three games, with Antonsen taking the win, 21-15, 17-21, 21-12.
He will now face Li Shi Feng in the semifinals. Antonsen leads the head-to-head 3-2. It’s close, but the world number two has been delivering some great performances. Can he reach his fifth final of the year?
On the other side of the draw, Christo Popov is also through – the last French representative left in Rennes. Today, he gave Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen very little room, with a solid 21-13 21-7 win. But tomorrow won’t be as straightforward as he’ll face Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who’s been in top form.
And closing out the day, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen faced Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin. These two pairs have met many times before, the last one being at the World Tour Finals last year, where the Danes won. Today’s match was also close, ending 21-14, 17-21, 25-23. Tomorrow, they’ll play Korea’s Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae.
You can see tomorrow’s order of play here.
