Fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue made history by becoming the first French mixed doubles pair to reach a World Championships final. They recovered from a 19-21 opening-game loss against China’s second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, winning the second game 21-13 before taking control of the decider. The French pair surged 12-0 ahead and held their nerve despite a late Chinese fightback to win 21-11.
Alex Lanier then joined his compatriots in the finals after the ninth seed defeated Canada’s seventh-ranked Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in an 85-minute men’s singles semifinal. The comeback marked another major milestone for French badminton on a memorable day in New Delhi.
Hosts India had earlier secured a historic women’s doubles bronze through Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. The 39th-ranked pair put up a spirited challenge against world No.1 Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning but eventually went down in three games. Their impressive campaign included wins over three seeded combinations and ended India’s 15-year wait for a women’s doubles World Championships medal, dating back to Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze in 2011.
Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi also advanced to the women’s singles final, defeating Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-17. Meanwhile, Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki bowed out but said she was determined to learn from matches against the world’s best as she continues her development.
