Alex Lanier makes history with first French men’s singles world title

Alex Lanier made badminton history on Sunday, defeating Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 to become the first French player to win a men’s singles title at the Badminton World Championships.

The 21-year-old Frenchman needed around 50 minutes to overcome Japan’s Naraoka, a former World Championship finalist, in a one-sided final that saw Lanier control the match from start to finish.

Lanier dictated the rallies with his movement and precision, constantly pushing Naraoka around the court before finding tight angles and unleashing powerful smashes.

The Frenchman took the opening game 21-11 in just 23 minutes. Naraoka struggled to deal with Lanier’s low shots and attempted to find winners from deep positions in the second game, but several of his attempts landed wide.

The Japanese player also struggled to use his drop shots effectively, with Lanier repeatedly anticipating his moves and responding with powerful smashes to close out the championship in straight games.

France Enjoys Historic Day in Badminton

Lanier’s victory capped a remarkable day for French badminton.

Earlier, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue became the first French pair to win a World Championship title, defeating top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China 22-20, 19-21, 21-15 in a thrilling mixed doubles final.

Lanier’s breakthrough adds to a period of growing success for French badminton, following Christo Popov’s World Tour Finals victory last year and France’s victory over Denmark in the European Championships in February.

For Lanier, however, the biggest achievement was making history in the men’s singles event.

An Se-young Claims Second World Title

In the women’s singles final, reigning Olympic champion An Se-young defeated defending world champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 to claim her second World Championship title.

The 24-year-old South Korean faced a determined challenge from three-time world champion Yamaguchi during the opening game. The pair remained locked at 17-17 before An produced a crucial late surge, winning the next four points to take the game.

An continued to dominate the high-speed rallies in the second game, using her consistency and attacking play to eventually secure the title in straight games.

The victory gives An a remarkable collection of major titles. She now holds the Olympic, World Championship, Asian Games and Asian Championship women’s singles titles simultaneously.

South Korea Dominates Women’s Doubles

South Korea also celebrated victory in the women’s doubles, with Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee defeating China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 21-15, 21-15.

The victory made Baek and Lee the first South Korean women’s doubles world champions in 31 years, adding another major achievement to the country’s successful championships campaign.

The tournament concluded with China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang winning the men’s doubles title. The Chinese pair defeated Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-17, 21-16 to complete the championships.

For France, though, the spotlight belonged to Alex Lanier, whose historic victory secured the country’s first-ever men’s singles World Championship title and marked a major milestone for French badminton.