Christo Popov Makes Landmark Final
Christo Popov’s dream campaign at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025 extended into the final day as he became the first French player to achieve the feat.
· DEV SUKUMAR
In the semifinals today, the world No.8 overwhelmed Kodai Naraoka with speed and precision, 21-19 21-8 – his first straight-games result of the week. It is his third final of the year, after previous finals at the YONEX Swiss Open and the YONEX French Open.
“Waking up this morning I was feeling very tired,” said Popov. “I was getting ready for a long match with Kodai, knowing his rally style. The first game was very important, being very long and winning that made me confident for the second game, and I got more aggressive. He made more mistakes and I got a huge gap at the beginning.”
To become the first Frenchman in the final was special, and Popov said it was all a new experience for him.