France’s Alex Lanier made a good start with a 17-21, 21-16, 21-18 win over China’s World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in the semi-finals of the 750 tournament in Yokohama, Japan. On the international badminton circuit. This is the first time the 19-year-old Frenchman, ranked 29th in the world, has reached the final at this level.
In the previous rounds, he eliminated Malaysia’s Lee Zi Jia, who was ranked 6th in the world, and Kenta Nishimoto of Japan, who was ranked 11th in the world. In July, Lanier reached the finals of the Canadian Open, in the Super 500, one run short of Yokohama, which moved him into the top 30 in the world. Cayenne-born Badista will face Taiwan’s Chu Tien-chen in Sunday’s final, where he will face world number 10. No French rider has ever won a Super 750.