The new year on the World Tour kicked off with the Super 1000 tournament, the Malaysia Open last week.
This week, the players move on to India, where the Super 750 tournament YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2026 is being held in the capital, New Delhi.
Although no Europeans stood on the top step of the podium in Malaysia, there are many opportunities for European success this week.
Last year, two Europeans reached the finals in India. Viktor Axelsen won the tournament but unfortunately will not be competing this year, as he is still struggling with back problems.
Delphine Delrue and Thom Gicquel finished runners-up in last year’s edition. This year, they face Jesper Toft/Amalie Magelund in the first round—an opponent they also met in the opening round last week. On that occasion, it was a Danish victory, just as it was in the final of the European Championships 2025. We can therefore expect another high-intensity clash between the two top pairs.
Another all-European encounter, also a repeat of a final at the European Championships 2025, sees Line Kjærsfeldt up against Kirsty Gilmour. At the European Championships, Line Kjærsfeldt claimed the victory, despite trailing 9–5 in their head-to-head record against the Scottish opponent.
Overall, Europe is well represented across all categories. Below is a list of the European players competing at the India Open.
Women’s Singles (WS)
Line Kjærsfeldt
Kirsty Gilmour
Mia Blichfeldt
Line Christophersen
Men’s Singles (MS)
Christo Popov
Alex Lanier
Toma Junior Popov
Nhat Nguyen
Rasmus Gemke
Women’s Doubles (WD)
Paulina Cybulska / Kornelia Marczak
Julie MacPherson / Ciara Torrance
Polina Buhrova / Yevheniia Kantemyr
Margot Lambert / Camille Pognante
Men’s Doubles (MD)
Daniel Lundgaard / Mads Vestergaard
Christo Popov / Toma Junior Popov
Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen
Ben Lane / Sean Vendy
Mixed Doubles (XD)
Mads Vestergaard / Christine Busch
Thom Gicquel / Delphine Delrue
Jesper Toft / Amalie Magelund
Marvin Seidel / Thuc Phuong Nguyen
Julien Maio / Léa Palermo
Mathias Christiansen / Alexandra Bøje
Alexander Dunn / Julie Macpherson
