Popov wins bronze at the LI-NING Hong Kong Open 2025 while China sweeps all titles.

If there was one clear winner in Hong Kong last week, it was China. Eight different countries were represented on the podiums, but China stood out like no other.

Li Shi Feng won the men’s singles title, Wang Zhi Yi won women’s singles – in an all-Chinese final against Han Yue – while Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang won men’s doubles, Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian won women’s doubles, and Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping secured the mixed doubles title. India secured two runner-up positions: Lakshya Sen in men’s singles and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles.

From a European perspective, it was Christo Popov who stood out, winning a bronze medal – the best European result at the Super 500 tournament. It’s also his fourth podium on the tour this year (not counting his bronze from the European Championships). Great results have been coming his way since spring. “I’m just on a wave. (…) I’ve been playing good and I’m happy about that,” he said.

While he didn’t reach the final, Popov delivered impressive performances throughout the week, starting with a strong win over Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and a thrilling quarterfinal match against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew that ended with an exciting close ending. 

In the semifinals, Popov faced a tough opponent, Li Shi Feng. The Frenchman fought well, saving five match points, but the Chinese player took the match in straight games after all, 21-18 21-19.

Still, Popov was pleased with how he performed in Hong Kong and more broadly, with the level he’s shown in recent months. “There’s more confidence right now because of getting good results. It leads to having confidence in the next tournaments, and being top 10 in the ranking means a lot to me.”

Next up is the LI-NING China Masters 2025, a Super 750 tournament taking place this week, where Popov, along with most of the tour’s top players, will keep on fighting for crucial wins. You can check the draws here.