A brotherly duel will headline the final day of the YONEX German Open Badminton Championships 2026 in Mülheim an der Ruhr, as Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov of France secured their places in the men’s singles final on Saturday, February 28th. The tournament, held from February 24th to March 1st at the Westenergie Sporthalle, also saw a record-breaking performance from France, with four players reaching the finals – a first in the championship’s 67-year history.
Toma Junior Popov, the sixth seed, opened the path to the all-French final with a 21:19, 21:15 victory over Chi Yu Jen of Taiwan. “I’m very happy – especially that I won in two sets. So I was able to save a lot of energy today,” Popov said after the match. He attributed his success to playing at the net, noting, “The longer the game lasted, the better I played.”
Christo Popov then secured his spot, defeating Lin Chun-Yi of Taiwan 21:10, 18:21, 21:18. “I’m tired and happy at the same time,” the 23-year-old said. “Only small things decided the victory. It’s fantastic that I’m now playing against my brother.” The brothers have met three times previously in international tournaments, with Christo winning twice and Toma Junior once. They previously faced each other in a final at the HYLO Open 2024 in Saarbrücken, where Christo emerged victorious.
France’s success didn’t stop at the men’s singles. Julien Maio and William Villeger advanced to the men’s doubles final, marking a historic achievement for the nation. The pair, who started in the qualifying rounds, defeated Wang Chi-Lin and Chiu Hsiang Chieh of Taiwan 21:17, 21:18. “It’s a crazy week. We started in qualifying and are now playing in the final tomorrow. We gave our best every day and are happy if we have a chance to win against the best in the world,” Maio stated. Villeger added, “This is fantastic, this is our week! We played very well in every match.”
China leads in overall final placements with six participations. In women’s singles, Wang Zhi Yi and Han Qian Xi will compete in an all-Chinese final. Wang Zhi Yi won her semi-final against Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan 21:10, 21:18, while Han Qian Xi advanced after her compatriot, Han Yue, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
The men’s doubles final will also feature a Chinese pairing, Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi, who defeated Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21:15, 21:12. They will face Maio and Villeger.
In women’s doubles, Li Yi Jing and Wang Yi Duo of China will face compatriots Bao Li Jing and Luo Xu Min in the final. The Chinese duo overcame Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti of Indonesia 21:18, 8:21, 21:19 after a lengthy 86-minute match.
The mixed doubles final will pit Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch against China’s Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi. Vestergaard and Busch secured their place with a 21:19, 21:16 win over a Singaporean/Indonesian pairing.
The final matches are scheduled to commence at 12 p.m. On Sunday, March 1st, in the following order: mixed doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and men’s singles.
