No quarter-finals for the Blues in Shenzhen. Engaged in three different tables on Thursday, the French all lost in the round of 16 of the China Masters (Super 750). However, there were some reasons to believe it, in particular for Alex Lanier, author of a quality match in the first round against Chou Tien Chen.
But the French No. 1 (16th in the world) fell against the Hong Konger Ng Ka Long Angus (No. 19) who is used to fighting fierce duels with him (21-15, 18-21, 21-13). Lanier especially lost his way in the third set, where he made a series of technical errors and bad judgments. He will therefore not meet Viktor Axelsen, the opponent who could have awaited him in the quarter-finals.
International season over for the Blues
In mixed, Delphine Delrue and Thom Giquel also lost their footing in the third round against the Malaysian duo Chen/Toh, world n°10. The European champions, recent finalists at the Kumamoto Masters, may regret not having concluded in the second set when the teams were tied at 21-21 (14-21, 23-21, 21-8).
In men’s doubles, no miracle for Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov. The brothers were up against some big names: the Danes Astrup/Rasmussen, world No. 3, who beat them for the ninth time in nine meetings (21-16, 21-13). Thus ended the international season for French players, who have no other BWF circuit competitions on the program between now and 2025.
