Christo Popov wins the French Open and becomes the first Frenchman world No. 1
On 25 October 2026 in Tremblay-en-France he beat Indonesia's Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah 21-11, 14-21, 21-13 and was set to overtake Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
The final
France's Christo Popov won the French Open men's singles on Sunday 25 October 2026 at the Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France, beating Indonesia's Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah, ranked 28th, 21-11, 14-21, 21-13, according to Flashscore, DH (a wire report) and Beninwebtv. He won the first game easily, lost the second, and in the third ran off eight points in a row, Beninwebtv writes.
World No. 1
Popov, 24 and ranked third before the tournament, becomes the first Frenchman to reach world No. 1 in men's singles, passing Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the ranking release that follows, DH and Beninwebtv report. Flashscore adds that he is the first Frenchman to win this event in 80 years. Ubaidillah had beaten the world champion, A. Lanier, in the semi-final.
In his words
Quoted by DH: "C'est incroyable. Du jamais fait." and "On ne peut pas rêver mieux", about winning at home and reaching No. 1.
Why it matters
Two months after France's first world titles in New Delhi, a French player tops the men's singles ranking. We have not seen the BWF's own ranking table.