Published: March 7, 2026 at 10:57 am
France and Malaysia on Friday celebrated landmark achievements at the All England Badminton Open Championships 2026 as these two nations made history in the quarterfinals.
In the opening session, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue became the first French mixed doubles pair to reach the semifinals of the sport’s oldest tournament. Later in the evening, Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan followed with a milestone of their own, ending a 19-year-old wait for a women’s doubles semifinal appearance at the All England Championships.
The French duo set the tone with a 21-16, 21-16 victory over second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, the second of the Chinese mixed doubles pair to fall after top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping bit the dust in the second round.
The French pair 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 attack after attack as the Chinese pair struggled to wrest back control.
https://youtu.be/6nrKHDvjOsU?si=WM2mYGpVuue58TRe
“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 we are attacking. Today we stayed calm and played smart shots.”
For Delrue, the performance reflected the work the pair have put in over recent weeks. “We are really happy with the work we did last month and it’s working,” she said. “We wanted to keep pressure on them all the time and I think we did that.”
Breakthrough win for Malaysia duo Tan and Thinaah
The sense of breakthrough carried into the women’s doubles, where Tan and Thinaah defeated Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari 21-9, 21-18 to reach their first All England semifinal after six attempts.
In doing so they became the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach the last four since Wong Pei Tty and Chin Eei Hui in 2007.
Thinaah (left) and Tan smash a 19-year wait for a Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach a semifinal at the All England. Pics: Badmintonphoto
“I think one thing is a big breakthrough,” said Thinaah. “In previous editions we were always quarterfinalists, so near yet so far. To get through today is a really happy feeling but it does not stop here.”
The World No.2 players dominated the opening game before being tested late in the second, when the Indonesians closed to 16-16. A lunging defensive scramble from Tan, dropping almost to her knees to keep the rally alive, proved a turning point.
“It was just my natural reaction,” Tan giggled. “I just wanted to cover the other side. Winning that point gave us a lot of confidence.”
Their semifinal will present another formidable challenge against 2024 All England winners Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee. The former champions have shared a growing rivalry with the Malaysians. The pairs have met six times with the head-to-head level at 3-3.
Still, Thinaah insists their focus will remain on their own game. “We always believe there is something we can improve, even if it’s just a very small percentage,” she said. “Now the key is to recover well and prepare for tomorrow.”
Tse and Tang also make history by reaching semis
Elsewhere, Tse Ying Suet and Tang Chun Man made history by becoming the first ever pair from Hong Kong China to reach the semifinals of the All England after defeating Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch 18-21, 21-19, 21-15.
An emotional Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong China breaks down after match point on Friday
“I couldn’t control my emotions towards the end of the match. My hand was shaking and we hadn’t finished the match yet. I was nervous. One of the regrets I had was thinking I wouldn’t have another chance to play at the All England again after we split,” said Tse Ying Suet.
Nikolaus Jaoquin and Raymond Indra ousted third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-18, 21-12 to reach their first semifinal at the All England on their debut. “After we won the Australian Open, we changed our mindset. We wanted more. We wanted to stay motivated, train harder and keep that hunger alive,” Jaoquin said.
