Toma Junior Popov produced the finest result of his career at Super 1000 level on Saturday, recovering from a slow start to defeat Canada’s Victor Lai 14-21, 21-12, 21-15 and become the first Frenchman to reach a men’s singles final at this level.

It was a performance built less on spectacle than adjustment. Lai controlled the opening game with his speed and directness, but Popov gradually changed the shape of the contest, extending the rallies, finding greater depth and forcing the Canadian to work harder for his attacking opportunities. By the deciding game, the Frenchman looked the more settled of the two and closed out a historic victory after another demanding three-game match.

The achievement continues an extraordinary period for French men’s singles. Alex Lanier won the Singapore Open, Christo Popov followed with the Japan Open title, and now Toma Junior has taken another significant step in Changzhou. After reaching his first Super 1000 semifinal by defeating Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the quarterfinals, Popov had said he was proud but determined to take the tournament “step by step”. One day later, that next step carried him into territory no French men’s singles player had previously reached.

Gicquel/ Delrue tumbled out to reigning champions

There was no place in the final for Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, who were beaten 21-19, 21-14 by reigning champions Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. The French pair competed closely in the opening game but could not dislodge the top seeds once the Chinese combination established control.

Feng and Huang will now attempt to win a third consecutive China Open title in an all-Chinese final against Guo Xin Wa and Chen FangHui. The challengers have already removed one leading pair this week, defeating Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin in three games in the quarterfinals, but the reigning champions’ control of the front court and ability to manage the decisive phases of matches will make them difficult to stop.

World numbers ones too strong for England

England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy also saw their campaign end in the semifinals against world No.1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. The Korean pair entered the match with a perfect record in the head-to-head and again proved too strong, but Lane and Vendy can still take considerable encouragement from another deep run at Super 1000 level.

Their progress in Changzhou followed a quarterfinal appearance at the Japan Open and represented their second Super 1000 semifinal of the year, after reaching the same stage at the Malaysia Open in January. They secured their place in the last four by beating Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi 21-9, 18-21, 21-17, recovering control in the deciding game after the Japanese pair had levelled the match.

Number 38

The women’s singles final will bring together Akane Yamaguchi and Chen Yu Fei for the 38th meeting of one of the most familiar rivalries in the sport. Yamaguchi leads their head-to-head 23-14 and won their Thailand Open final in May, although the two arrive at Sunday’s contest by contrasting routes. Chen defeated Tomoka Miyazaki in straight games, while Yamaguchi was taken to three by Wang Zhiyi.

That extra time on court may matter, but history suggests neither player will place much faith in easy predictions. Their rivalry has survived changes in form, fitness and tournament setting, and Sunday’s final will offer another opportunity to test whether Yamaguchi’s recent edge can withstand Chen’s home support.

Click here for full results