Christo Popov has won the men's singles title at the 2026 YONEX French Open, a BWF Super 750 event played near Paris. The home win makes him the first Frenchman to take the crown since Henri Pellizza in 1946. It also carries him to world number one, the first French man ever to top the men's singles rankings.
A fast start, a fightback and a closing burst
Playing before about 5,000 spectators at the Arena Grand Paris, the third seed set the tone at once. He took the opening five points and led 11-5 at the interval. A late three-point run closed the first game 21-11.
Indonesia's Zaki Ubaidillah refused to fold in the second game. From 1-4 down the 19-year-old reeled off eight straight points and took it 21-14, forcing a decider. Popov's pace dipped as his opponent pushed the match long.
The third game turned on a single burst. Ubaidillah edged ahead 3-2 before Popov won nine points in a row to lead 11-3. The Indonesian clawed back to 10-12, but Popov pulled clear once more and sealed it 21-13 after 61 minutes.
Second Super 750 title in a breakthrough year
The title is Popov's second at Super 750 level, after the Japan Open in July, and his sixth as a professional. A year earlier he had lost this final to Anders Antonsen, 12-21, 19-21. On his way through this time he beat Japan's Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 21-16 and China's Hu Zhe'an 21-14, 21-10, dropping only two games all week.
He is also the European champion from Huelva and was part of the France side that won Thomas Cup silver this year. His opponent, the first Indonesian to reach a Super 750 final, had beaten recent world champion Alex Lanier in the semi-finals, 21-16, 16-21, 21-17. The left-handed teenager came into the final ranked 28th in the world.
His father and coach, Toma, and his brother Toma Junior joined him on the podium. The win lifts Popov from third, above Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, to the top of the rankings. Holding that place will be his next challenge.
