A few weeks after their victories at the 2026 Orléans Masters Badminton tournament, our champions made their big return to the international stage at the European Championships in Huelva, Spain, and, for some, at the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China. It was a comeback against tough competition, with the goal of building on their current momentum at the highest international level.
Our representatives in action at the Intercontinental Championships:
In men's singles, Alex LANIER (No. 9) reached the quarterfinals of the European Championships. Facing his compatriot Arnaud MERKLÉ (No. 36), he lost after a hard-fought match: 21–17, 19–21, 18–21.
In the mixed doubles, it was a disappointing start for the French pair Thom GICQUEL / Delphine DELRUE (No. 5), who were eliminated in their opening match. They lost a close match to the British pair Callum HEMMING / Estelle VAN LEEUWEN (No. 38): 17-21, 21-18, 20-22.
Several winners from the 32nd edition of the Orléans Masters Badminton tournament were also in attendance.
Our defending champions in men’s doubles, the Chinese pair LIN Xiangyi / HU Ke Yuan (No. 37), put up a good fight but saw their run come to an end in the round of 16 against the Malaysians Soh Wooi YIK / Aaron CHIA (No. 2), after two closely contested sets: 20–22, 19–21.
Our women's singles champion, Japan's Nozomi OKUHARA (No. 15), advanced to the quarterfinals, where she lost to South Korea's SIM Yu-jin (No. 19) with scores of 18–21, 11–21.
Other players from the Orléans Masters Badminton Club will be there:
Several players who competed in the 32nd edition of the Orléans Masters Badminton tournament also participated in these championships.
In men’s doubles, brothers Christo POPOV and Toma Junior POPOV (No. 21) had an excellent run, advancing all the way to the European Championships final. However, they lost to the English pair Ben LANE and Sean VENDY (No. 15) with a score of 15–21, 16–21.
The British mixed doubles team, having defeated our champions Thom and Delphine, advanced to the final, where they lost to the Danish pair Mathias CHRISTIANSEN and Alexandra BOJE (finalists at the 2026 Orléans Masters Badminton) with a score of 19–21, 14–21.
Finally, on the Asian continent, the women’s singles title went to South Korea’s AN Se Young (No. 1), a former champion of the 2025 Orléans Masters Badminton tournament, who confirmed her outstanding form by claiming the top spot in Asian badminton.
To view the results of the European Championships, click HERE.
To view the results of the Asia Championships, click HERE.
