Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue have written another chapter of history for French badminton by advancing to the finals of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2026.

The French pair defeated China’s Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui 11-21, 21-18, 21-12 to secure their spot in tomorrow’s final. After losing the first game, they turned the match around with strong second and third games to seal a historic win.

It marks the first time a French mixed doubles pair has reached the All England final.

Gicquel explained that the start of the match was not easy, especially in the return game. “I think I struggled a lot with the receive, they blocked me a lot on the right side. And when I'm not good in receiving, I'm a bit lost. We tried to make the match difficult for them, push hard and take time in the attack. And I think it worked.”

Despite the slow start, the French pair believed they could raise their level as the match went on. “No, I think we are not surprised. We were expecting to bring the same level as yesterday. It was a long time for it to come, but at the end, we played really good. So, yeah, we are happy about the level in the third set, especially,” Delrue said.

“At one point, you just stop thinking because it will cost losing and you need to try everything. I think it's what we did. We believe that we can play at least better and show a better level. We were just focused on that, and then the point came. I think the momentum changed completely. The start of the third set was really important. I think we killed them when we were leading 7-2 or something like that,” Gicquel said.

The final will mark their third Super 1000 final together. The pair won the Indonesia Open last year and now have the chance to add another big title.

However, Delrue is not getting carried away. “I'm not sure we feel favourite. I think it will be a 50-50 match. We have our ideas in the final, so we need to rest and bring the same level tomorrow.”