Paris, Aug 27 (UNI) The second matchday of the 2025 BWF World Championships here saw China’s women sweep into the next round, while France thrilled its home fans with nail-biters at the Adidas Arena here.
In the women’s singles, China’s depth was on full display. Second seed Wang Zhiyi needed just 26 minutes to dispatch Hungary’s Agnes Korosi 21-5, 21-4 on Tuesday.
Third seed Han Yue followed suit, easing past Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-chian in straight games, while Gao Fangjie brushed aside Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei by the same margin.
“I arrived in Paris only a few days ago, but the jet-lag hasn’t been a problem,” Wang said. “I even managed a nap before the match, so I felt wide awake out there.”
The women’s doubles competition was equally dominant. Top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, sixth seeds Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian, and Li Yijing and Luo Xumin all advanced comfortably.
Hosts France provided the day’s drama. In the men’s singles, Toma Junior Popov outlasted Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-18, 19-21, 25-23 in a 90-minute thriller. Barely two hours later Popov returned to court alongside brother Christo, pushing Malaysia’s seventh seeds Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun to three games before falling narrowly in the decider.
France’s women’s doubles pair Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante nearly produced the upset of the day. Ranked 42nd in the world, they pushed South Korean fourth seeds Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee to the limit before succumbing 22-24 in the final game.
Wednesday will see the championship debuts of China’s top-seeded mixed-doubles pairs, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin, both of whom received first-round byes.
In the men’s singles, top seed Shi Yuqi faces Belgium’s Julien Carraggi, while women’s top seed Chen Yufei takes on Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt.
