Thom gicquel

BWF World Championships: The French contingent had a lot to celebrate in the first half of the semifinals day as they sealed two final spots in the BWF World Championships 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday.

Fifth-seeded mixed doubles combination of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue came from a game down to upset second-seeded Chinese pairing of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin to become the first-ever French finalists in the history of the World Championships. The French pairing led 12-0 in the decider and did not let go of that advantage despite some late pressure from their opponents, winning 19-21, 21-13, 21-11.

Ninth seed Alex Lanier then joined the duo for final day action after he got the better of Canada's seventh seed Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in the men's singles semifinal that lasted 85 minutes.