All England: Canada, France Celebrate Milestones
History was made on quarterfinals day as France, Canada and Malaysia celebrated landmark achievements at YONEX All England Open 2026.
· BWF STAFF
In the opening session, Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue became the first French mixed pair to reach the semifinals in the Open era (starting 1980) of the sport’s oldest tournament. Later in the evening, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan followed with a milestone of their own, ending Malaysia's 19-year wait for a women’s doubles last four appearance. Victor Lai then became the toast of Canada, his 18-21 21-17 21-15 win over Koki Watanabe making him the first Open era semifinalist from his country.
Gicquel/Delrue set the tone with a 21-16 21-16 victory over second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin – the second Chinese favourites to fall after top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping in the second round. The French played with authority throughout, constantly pressing forward and keeping their opponents under pressure. Delrue was particularly sharp at the net, intercepting drives and setting up attacks that paved the way for a first win in three meetings against their opponents.
“We worked a lot on my position in attack,” said Gicquel. “We know we are strong at the net and mid court but the next step was winning more points when attacking.”