Christo Popov wins French Open and reaches world number 1

Christo Popov secured the French Open badminton title at the Arena Grand Paris, defeating Indonesia’s Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah in a three-set final with scores of 21-11, 14-21, and 21-13. This victory marks Popov’s sixth career title and, crucially, ensures he will ascend to the world number 1 ranking, becoming the first French man in men’s singles to achieve this milestone.

Before the final, the 19-year-old Ubaidillah reached his first BWF World Tour Super 750 final by upsetting the reigning world champion, Alex Lanier, in the semifinals. Lanier, ranked fifth in the world, was eliminated in a three-set match (21-16, 16-21, 17-21) by Ubaidillah, preventing an all-French final at the tournament.