The first two major events on the 2026 international calendar, the PETRONAS Malaysia Open (Super 1000) and the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open (Super 750), set the tone for what promises to be an intense season.
Between confirmations and promising performances, these two tournaments symbolize a year rich in emotions, driven by strong ambitions and an already very high level of play.
The champions are here :
AN Se Young (No. 1, South Korea) began 2026 exactly as she ended the previous year. By winning the Malaysia Open and India Open in quick succession, she once again confirmed her status as the world's leading women's singles player.
In both finals, she faced China's WANG Zhi Yi (No. 2). Each time, the outcome was identical and decisive: the South Korean won in two sets, 21/15, 24/22 in Malaysia and 21/13, 21/11 in India, demonstrating total control over her opponent.
Winners of the 2025 Orleans Masters, Denmark's Jesper TOFT and Amalie MAGELUND (No. 11) delivered an excellent performance at the 2026 PETRONAS Malaysia Open.
They began their tournament by successively eliminating two French pairs:
Thom GICQUEL / Delphine DELRUE (No. 5, France) 21/13, 17/21, 21/9.
Julien MAIO / Léa PALERMO (No. 40, France) 17/21, 21/14, 21/13.
The Danes continued their impressive run by defeating PUAVARANUKROH and PAEWSAMPRAN (No. 4, Thailand) 21/12, 8/21, 21/19, before seeing their adventure come to an end in the semi-finals against JIANG Zhen Bang and WEI Ya Xin (No. 2, China) with a score of 15/21, 14/21.
The South Korean pair KANG Min Hyuk and KI Dong Ju (No. 19) have had a promising start to the season.
At the Malaysia Open, they showed great quality but were eliminated before the quarterfinals by the pair GUTAMA and ISFAHAN (No. 8, Indonesia).
At the India Open, they had an impressive run, reaching the semifinals against LIANG Wei Keng and WANG Chang (No. 5, China): 20/22, 18/21.
Their compatriots KIM Hye Jeong / KONG Hee Yong (No. 3, South Korea) also performed consistently well in both tournaments.
In a series of hard-fought matches, they showed their strength in the early rounds before being eliminated just before the quarterfinals in both the Malaysia Open and the India Open.
On the French side, Alex LANIER (No. 8) particularly distinguished himself at the Malaysia Open. He was the last French player still in contention at the end of the fourth day of competition. He first defeated Alwi FARHAN (No. 17, Indonesia) 21/13, 19/21, 21/13, then Nhat NGUYEN (No. 28, Ireland) 21/8, 21/19.
This performance took him to the quarterfinals, where he faced a giant of the circuit: Kunlavut VITIDSARN (No. 2, Thailand).
After winning the first set, the Frenchman lost 21/15, 10/21, 13/21 to the future tournament winner, leaving the competition just shy of the final four.
Another French player to watch at the India Open, Christo POPOV (No. 7) got off to a good start in the tournament, with several victories.
He first defeated WANG Tzu Wei (No. 24, Taiwan) 13/21, 21/18, 21/19, then against India's KIDAMBI Srikanth (No. 34) 21/14, 17/21, 21/17, thus qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Despite a solid performance, Christo lost 19/21, 19/21 to Jonatan CHRISTIE (No. 4, Indonesia), repeating a similar scenario to that experienced by Alex Lanier in Malaysia: elimination at the gates of the semifinals.
To view the results of the PETRONAS Malaysia Open, click HERE.
To view the results of the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open, click HERE.
Link to our ticket office for the 2026 edition, click HERE.
