Whatever the sport, beating the world number 1 is never easy. And digesting the feat is perhaps at least as complicated. In Yokohama, Alex Lanier brilliantly succeeded in both missions to win the Japan Open on Sunday, August 25. The day after his victory over the Chinese Shi Yu Qi, the Caen native did it again in the final to dispose of the Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen (10e world) in two sets (21-17, 22-20). At 19, he is the first Frenchman to triumph in a Super 750 – the second most important category of badminton tournaments on the world circuit.
Faced with the 34-year-old Taiwanese, experienced in this type of summit encounter, Alex Lanier was once again not the favourite. At 29e world-ranked, he struggled to get into the match, trailing 17-10 in the first set. He then accelerated seriously to sign a series of eleven points and pocket the set.
And since nothing seemed to be able to touch him during a week in which he also brought down the Japanese Kenta Nishimoto, 11e world, and Malaysian Lee Zii Jia, 6e and bronze medalist in singles at the Paris Olympics, Alex Lanier did not stop there. Despite the fatigue and tension, it was still he who had the last word in the second set, snatching 22 to 20 to win.
Paris 2025 Objective
“It’s really incredible to have managed to maintain this level of play throughout the competition, to have been strong from the first match to the final and to have managed to finishthe Norman savored after the meeting, in comments reported by West France. That’s definitely something I was missing too. To feel like I can play at a really, really good level even when I feel dead, when I feel like I have nothing left.”
Not qualified for the Olympic Games unlike his compatriots Toma and Christo Popov, the youngest member of the French team took advantage of the opportunity to ” work hard physically and mentally.” If he has not “didn’t like this period”it is clear that it had a beneficial effect on his game. “The work paid off this week. I was in good physical shape and that’s really important at the top level.”
Absent from the last Olympic Games, Alex Lanier is still aiming for the French capital. Paris will host the World Championships in August 2025. “My long-term goal is to be world number one and win the Olympic gold medal and the world title. I want to achieve something really huge in this tournament.”explains the ambitious Frenchman.