Toma Junior Popov’s landmark China Open campaign ended one victory short of the title as Chou Tien Chen prevailed 21-15, 7-21, 21-13 in a demanding men’s singles final in Changzhou.

The Frenchman had already made history by becoming the first French men’s singles player to reach a Super 1000 final, following a 72-minute semifinal victory over Canada’s Victor Lai. His run also included wins over Rasmus Gemke and Nhat Nguyen, adding another significant result to a strong period for French men’s singles.

Sunday’s final developed into an intriguing tactical contest with managing the drift. Chou controlled the opening game through his patience, variation and willingness to keep Popov working through the middle of the court. Popov responded emphatically in the second, increasing the pace and repeatedly finding ways through the defence to take it 21-7.

The deciding game belonged to the 36-year-old from Chinese Taipei. Chou restored his control, limited Popov’s attacking opportunities and used his experience to manage the key phases of the match. The victory gave him another Super 1000 title, seven years after his Indonesia Open triumph in 2019, and offered further evidence of his remarkable longevity at the highest level.

Nine years later

Akane Yamaguchi also produced an impressive result, defeating Chen Yu Fei 21-18, 21-16 in the 38th meeting between two of women’s singles’ most familiar rivals. Yamaguchi had needed three games to overcome Wang Zhi Yi in the semifinals, while Chen arrived fresher after a straight-games win over Tomoka Miyazaki, but the Japanese player controlled the final to claim her first China Open title since 2017. She now leads their career head-to-head 24-14.

The treble party cancelled

China was guaranteed the mixed doubles title, but it was Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui who emerged from the all-Chinese final. They denied Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping a third consecutive China Open crown with a 25-23, 20-22, 21-15 victory lasting almost 90 minutes. After two closely contested games, Guo and Chen found the stronger finish in the decider to complete an excellent week that also included a quarterfinal win over Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin.

Unstoppable duo

Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning successfully defended their women’s doubles title, beating Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-14, 21-19. The Chinese pair gained revenge for their defeat to the Japanese combination in the Indonesia Open final and collected their fourth title of 2026, reinforcing their position among the discipline’s most consistent partnerships.

Revenge was so close

In men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri backed up their Japan Open title with another major victory, defeating Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in three games. After ending a run of five World Tour final defeats in Tokyo, the Indonesians have now beaten the world number one pair in consecutive finals and turned a temporary partnership into one of the strongest combinations on tour. The win also underlined how quickly momentum has shifted in the discipline, with Fajar and Fikri now carrying two major titles into the final stretch before the World Championships.

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