Japan Open: Another Peak for Popov
Christo Popov delivered a near-flawless performance to claim the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026 to earn a morale-boosting title win ahead of the BWF World Championships next month.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Koki Watanabe had had a draining three-game match against Yushi Tanaka in the semifinals, but to his credit, the home hope didn’t make it easy for the Frenchman, particularly in the second game. Watanabe had his chances in the second, but Popov’s greater sharpness and ability to last the rallies helped him nudge the tape, 21-11 21-19, for his third title of the year.
“This means a lot ... it’s confirmation of what I was talking about for the last few months or weeks,” said Popov. “For me, it's a very big achievement. Most of all, I like to play in Japan. I'm very happy to take the title this year.
“It’s three times in a row with a Frenchman in the final (in Japan), with Alex (Lanier) playing the last two and me, so that’s great statistics for France. Most of all, I’m proud of the team. We came here as a very big team with two medical staff – one physical, one medical and dad as coach. And it was great, I would say we had a great bubble-like atmosphere for a week with a lot of confidence that made me perform as well as I can.