The final two matches of the day at the YONEX German Open 2026 both featured French participation.

In the first match, the tournament’s biggest surprise, Julien Maio and William Villeger, faced world No. 12 Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi.

The French pair came out flying, continuing the momentum that had carried them throughout the tournament. They claimed the opening game 21–17 and were leading 11–9 in the second. From that point on, however, the match changed character. The Chinese pair stepped further forward on court, increased the pace, and took control of the rallies.

China won the second game 21–15 before convincingly taking the decider 21–12.

Although the two French players were naturally disappointed not to win the match — and the title — they could still be proud of their week’s performance. Villeger said:

“It is amazing for us. Now we know that we can compete against these players and win these matches, so we are really happy about this week.”

The final match of the tournament featured Toma and Christo Popov. The two brothers also met in last year’s Hylo Open final, where they became the first pair of brothers to reach a World Tour final.

This time, however, they entered the match under very different circumstances. Christo comes off the best six months of his career, which have lifted him to world No. 5. For older brother Toma, today marked his first singles final since the European Championships 2025 nearly a year ago. During the same six-month period in which Christo broke into the top five, Toma has not progressed beyond the second round at any World Tour tournament.

On court, both players gave everything and delivered an entertaining final. But once again, it was younger brother Christo who emerged victorious. 21-16 21-15.

In addition to the two French finals, Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch also competed in the mixed doubles final at the German Open. You can read more about their match here.