Silver feels like gold for France, despite Thomas Cup final loss to China
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Christo Popov (left) and older brother Toma Junior Popov were part of the French team that finished runners-up at the 2026 Thomas Cup badminton tournament in Horsens, Denmark, on May 3, 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
HORSENS – France may have missed out on a maiden Thomas Cup title, losing to 12-time champions China in the final on May 3, but Toma Junior Popov said “it may be silver, but for us it feels like gold”.
China’s men triumphed 3-1 at Forum Horsens in badminton’s premier team tournament, ensuring they did not leave Denmark empty-handed after their women were upset 3-1 by South Korea in the women’s equivalent Uber Cup earlier in the day.
France, who had never even reached the quarter-finals previously, announced themselves as a rising force in Horsens, just months after ending Denmark’s unblemished reign at the European Men’s Team Championships in February.
But China, winners of eight of the 12 most recent Thomas Cups, proved a bridge too far.
World No. 17 Popov, 27, was quoted by Badminton Europe as saying: “It may be silver, but for us it feels like gold. It is crazy what we have achieved this week. We put up a huge fight again today. Two of the matches we lost went to three sets and it could definitely have gone our way.
“It was incredible for us to be here and to be part of this kind of set-up at such major events. We are just very happy and proud, and we are going to enjoy it. Maybe it is good that we did not win it this time – maybe it will make us even more hungry to win that gold medal next time.”
Popov’s younger brother, world No. 4 Christo, pushed top-ranked Shi Yuqi in the opening singles before falling 21-16, 16-21, 21-17. They were tied at 17-17 in the decider before the Chinese world champion’s experience told.
“I was behind in all three games and tried to calm myself down to find the right way to play my opponent,” Shi was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
“I kept telling myself to stay clear-minded, patient and consistent under my current physical condition,” he added, having missed the last two group matches after a bout of acute gastroenteritis.
France roared back in the second singles with 10th-ranked Alex Lanier easily beating world No. 7 Li Shifeng 21-13, 21-10.
Said Lanier: “I woke up with strong motivation this morning and the desire to give everything for the team. I felt confident on court and played one of my best matches.”
With the scores tied at 1-1, the third singles was nail-bitingly close but the older Popov eventually succumbed 22-20, 20-22, 21-19 in a 96-minute marathon against world No. 15 Weng Hongyang.
Said Weng: “Before the match, I knew it would be very tough. The opponents came through strong matches all the way to the final, so I just tried to prepare myself for a difficult battle.
“This match could be one of the longest I have ever played. It was very valuable for me mentally. Whether I was leading or trailing, there were a lot of long, tight rallies.”
China wrapped up the tie in the first doubles, with 99th-ranked He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu beating world No. 52 Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-16.
