While all eyes are already set on the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025, we take a moment to look back at the Asian leg of the tour. It was an eventful few weeks with some memorable highs and some other tough early exits European players. 
 
Following the tournaments on American soil at the start of the summer, the tour moved back to Asia in mid-July, kicking off with the DAIHATSU Japan Open, a Super 750 event. 
 
It wasn’t an easy start. One of Europe’s strongest contenders, Anders Antonsen, lost in the first round. In women’s singles, all European players were also out in their opening matches. In men’s doubles, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard made it to the second round, as did Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue in mixed doubles, but none got to reach the quarterfinals. 
 
It could have been a disappointing start to the summer’s Asian leg. Still, France stepped up, with amazing performances from Christo Popov and Alex Lanier. Popov fought his way to the semifinals, including a win against home favourite Kodai Naraoka in the quarterfinals. He then pushed Shi Yu Qi, the current world number one, in a narrow ending to the one-hour semifinal – with a controversial netplay call. Popov lost, but walked away with a well-deserved bronze medal. 
 
Lanier went even further. After defeating home player Koki Watanabe, he reached the final where he also faced Shi Yu Qi, who had previously taken Popov out. Despite a well-played match, Lanier couldn’t defend his 2024 title and finished as runner-up in the Super 750 tournament. 

The tour then moved to Changzhou for the VICTOR China Open 2025, a Super 1000 event. There was hope for Lanier and Popov to carry the momentum into China, but Lanier fell in the first round, and Popov reached the quarterfinals but couldn’t advance past. This time, Antonsen was the one standing out, bouncing back from his early exit in Japan to secure a bronze medal in China, gaining some valuable ranking points and a confidence boost ahead of the World Championships. 

Then it was time for the SANDS CHINA LTD Macau Open 2025. With many top European stars skipping the Super 300 tournament, it offered other players a chance to shine, and so they did. 
 
In women’s singles, Line Christophersen delivered her best result of the year, advancing all the way to the final. Even though she lost to Chen Yu Fei, she finished as runner-up, a great push for the rest of the season. 
 
In mixed doubles, Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje made a grand return. After more than a year away from the tour as a duo, they started all the way from the qualification rounds. Match by match, they built momentum, took out top-seeded pairs, and went on to win the title. It was a dream comeback. 

Now, everyone’s focused on Paris and the World Championships – just under three weeks away. Antonsen is now ranked world number two, and Christo Popov has reached a career-best ranking in the top 10. Viktor Axelsen is improving with his rehabilitation. France, the host nation, will bring a strong team of 15 players, and Denmark will also have one of the largest European squads, with Christiansen/Bøje returning just in time. 
 
And after the Worlds, a packed schedule awaits, including the busy European leg of the tour in October. With so much to look forward to, how couldn’t we be excited?