Alex Lanier beats Victor Lai to create history for France at BWF World Championships

French shuttlers created badminton history on Aug 22 by booking their first two finals at the world championships.

World No. 10 Alex Lanier came from behind to beat seventh-ranked Victor Lai of Canada 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 to become his country’s first men’s singles finalist at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships.

This came just after mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue had sealed France’s spot in a world championship final for the first time, after winning a bronze in the 2025 edition.

There is no third-place play-off, so both losing semi-finalists will receive bronze medals. Lanier had assured himself of at least a bronze after overcoming world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the quarter-finals the previous day to set up a semi-final meeting with Lai.

In a battle of 21-year-olds at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, it was Lai who started with all guns blazing as he clinched the first game easily after racing into a 7-0 lead.

Despite losing the first game, Lanier said he kept faith in coach Kestutis Navickas’ words and believed in himself.

He told L’Equipe: “I knew I was capable of playing the rally, of catching up. Okay, I can have bad shots, but I’m capable of fighting to the fullest.”

Lanier also trailed in the second game but, showing steely resolve, he reeled off five points in a row to lead 14-12 before clinching it to level the match.

Lanier said he felt Lai slowing down, which allowed him to gain a few points, adding: “I had to finish really strong, and I think that gave me a huge confidence boost.”

Building on the momentum, he led in the deciding game and fended off Lai’s comeback attempt, this time stringing eight consecutive points to seal his spot in the final.

He will meet Japanese world No. 11 Kodai Naraoka, who defeated world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 in the other semi-final.

Lai, who overcame veterans such as Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew and Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke en route to the last four, has clinched back-to-back bronze medals.

Earlier, world No. 5 Gicquel and Delrue had also come from behind to beat second-ranked Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin of China 19-21, 21-13, 21-11.

Gicquel said their pre-tournament mental preparation, which included learning to manage their emotions after losing the first game, was key to their victory, which was marked by a runaway 12-0 lead in the third game which effectively extinguished any hopes of a Chinese comeback.

“Lately, we haven’t been good after losing the first game,” Gicquel, 27, told the BWF website.

“We have competed sometimes where we couldn’t digest the loss of the first game. This time, we worked that out with our mental coach.

“We were so ready to fight, to make the match hard for them, and they felt that.

“They felt our attitude was positive and we fought very much.

“Of course, after a big lead like that in the third, we had a lot of chance to win, but it isn’t easy, and we were stressed and they tried till the end. But we are really happy to play like this and behave like this mentally.”

Gicquel and Delrue will be hoping to beat another Chinese pairing when they take on world No. 1 Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in the final on Aug 23.

In the women’s singles, defending champion and world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi will be seeking a record fourth world title after defeating 10th-ranked Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-12, 21-17 in the first semi-final.

The Japanese takes on South Korean world No. 1 An Se-young, who defeated third-ranked Wang Zhiyi of China 24-22, 21-16 in the other women’s singles semi-final. This was followed by the men’s doubles semi-finals after press time.

Women’s doubles pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning will also be bidding to retain their title when the top-ranked duo from China face world No. 3 Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of South Korea in the final.