Singles fire France into Thomas Cup semis, face India next
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2026-05-02,PETALING JAYA
France rode on the strength of their singles players to reach a historic semi-final in the Thomas Cup Finals.
On Friday (May 1), they oozed class in a commanding 3-0 win over Japan in the quarter-finals at the Forum Horsens in Denmark.
They will take on 2022 champions India in the semi-final on May 2 (12 midnight Malaysian time).
It was a perfect day for the French shuttlers as Christo Popov got them off to a strong start by beating Kodai Naraoka 21-17, 21-17 in 67 minutes.
Young star Alex Lanier then dismantled Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-17 in 46 minutes to hand France a 2-0 lead.
The older of the Popov brothers, Toma Junior Popov, sealed the tie against Koki Watanabe, edging a tight contest 21-19, 23-21 in 64 minutes to send France into the semi-finals.
The other semi-final will see China take on Denmark.