Paris, France, October 24: Malaysia will have two pairs competing for titles at the 2026 French Open after Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan reached the women’s doubles final and Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing advanced to the mixed doubles championship match on Saturday.
Pearly and Thinaah defeated Japan’s third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-17, 22-20, while Hoo and Lai produced an impressive 21-13, 21-9 victory over China’s sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.
At the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament in Paris, world No. 1 An Se Young also advanced to the women’s singles final, where she will meet India’s two-time Olympic medalist P. V. Sindhu.
The results set up an exciting final day for Malaysian badminton, with Pearly and Thinaah chasing a second consecutive World Tour title following their Denmark Open triumph and Hoo and Lai preparing to challenge China’s top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan Reach Second Consecutive Final
Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan continued their outstanding European campaign with a straight-game victory over Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the French Open women’s doubles semifinals.
The Malaysian second seeds took the opening game 21-17 before facing a closer challenge in the second.
Iwanaga and Nakanishi pushed the second game beyond 20-all, but Pearly and Thinaah secured the final two-point margin to win 22-20 and complete their victory.
The result sends the Malaysians into their second consecutive BWF World Tour final, just six days after they captured the Denmark Open title in Odense.
At the Denmark Open, Pearly and Thinaah defeated Japan’s Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita 21-18, 21-11 to end Malaysia’s 18-year wait for a women’s doubles championship at the tournament.
Their run in Paris has continued that momentum. Before defeating Iwanaga and Nakanishi, they overcame Bulgaria’s Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva 21-12, 21-15 in Friday’s quarterfinals.
They will now face Japan’s top-seeded pair Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in Sunday’s championship match.
Watch Highlights: Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi vs. Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan – 2026 French Open Semifinal
Pearly-Thinaah to Face Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto
Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto secured their place in the women’s doubles final after defeating Indonesia’s Rachel Allessya Rose and Febi Setianingrum 21-18, 21-15.
The top seeds took the opening game by three points before completing the victory with a more comfortable second game.
Fukushima and Matsumoto had also defeated Indonesia’s Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti 21-17, 21-18 in the quarterfinals.
Their victory sets up a championship match between the tournament’s top two seeded women’s doubles combinations.
For Pearly and Thinaah, Sunday’s final presents an opportunity to add the French Open title to the Denmark Open crown they won the previous weekend.
The women’s doubles final is scheduled for October 25 on Court 1, with an estimated start time of 11:50 a.m. local time.
Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing Storm Into Mixed Doubles Final
Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing delivered one of their strongest results of the tournament, defeating China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui 21-13, 21-9 in the mixed doubles semifinals.
After taking the opening game 21-13, the Malaysians increased their advantage in the second, winning 21-9 to secure a straight-game victory.
The result was especially notable because Guo and Chen entered the match as the tournament’s sixth seeds.
Hoo and Lai had faced a much tougher contest in Friday’s quarterfinals, when they needed three games to defeat Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen 21-17, 20-22, 21-18.
They had also survived a three-game second-round encounter against Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui, winning 21-13, 13-21, 21-17.
Saturday’s convincing semifinal victory sends Hoo and Lai into the French Open final, continuing their strong European campaign after reaching the Denmark Open semifinals the previous week.
Hoo-Lai Set for Final Against Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping
Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing will face China’s top-seeded pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in Sunday’s mixed doubles final.
Feng and Huang advanced after recovering from a game down to defeat France’s fourth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.
The French pair took the opening game 21-19, but the Chinese combination responded with a 21-17 victory in the second.
With the match level at one game apiece, Feng and Huang narrowly secured the deciding game 21-19 to complete their comeback.
The result ended Gicquel and Delrue’s hopes of reaching the mixed doubles final on home soil.
Feng and Huang, who finished runners-up at the Denmark Open the previous weekend, will now attempt to go one step further in Paris.
For Hoo and Lai, the final offers an opportunity to challenge the tournament’s top seeds after eliminating the sixth-seeded Chinese combination in the semifinals.
The mixed doubles final is scheduled for October 25 on Court 1, with an estimated start time of 12:40 p.m. local time.
An Se Young Defeats Nozomi Okuhara to Reach French Open Final
South Korea’s An Se Young continued her impressive form with a 21-12, 21-19 victory over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the women’s singles semifinals.
The world No. 1 took the opening game 21-12 before facing a much closer challenge in the second.
Okuhara narrowed the margin, but An secured the game 21-19 to complete her straight-game victory.
The result sends An into another BWF World Tour final just one week after she captured the Denmark Open women’s singles title.
In Odense, An defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-23, 21-14, 21-18 in a three-game championship match.
Her run in Paris has included victories over India’s Tanvi Sharma, China’s Han Yue and now Okuhara.
An will next face India’s P. V. Sindhu for the French Open women’s singles championship.
Watch Highlights: An Se Young vs. Nozomi Okuhara – 2026 French Open Semifinal
P. V. Sindhu Survives Three-Game Battle Against Hina Akechi
India’s P. V. Sindhu booked her place in the French Open women’s singles final after defeating Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16.
Sindhu began strongly, taking the opening game 21-10, but Akechi responded with a much closer second game.
The Japanese player edged the second 22-20 to force a decider and extend the contest.
Sindhu recovered in the third game, winning 21-16 to secure her place in Sunday’s final.
The victory followed her straight-game quarterfinal win over Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian, whom she defeated 21-13, 21-14.
Sindhu will now face world No. 1 An Se Young in a high-profile women’s singles final between two established international badminton stars.
French Open 2026 Finals: Malaysia Chasing Multiple Titles
Sunday’s championship matches will give Malaysia opportunities to compete for titles in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan will attempt to complete a second consecutive title-winning week against Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing will face China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping, who enter the final as the tournament’s top seeds.
Meanwhile, the women’s singles final between An Se Young and P. V. Sindhu will feature two of the sport’s most recognizable players.
Women’s Doubles Final
Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) vs. Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia)
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Venue: Arena Grand Paris, France.
Court: Court 1.
Scheduled time: Estimated 11:50 a.m. local time.
Mixed Doubles Final
Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China) vs. Hoo Pang Ron/Lai Pei Jing (Malaysia)
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Venue: Arena Grand Paris, France.
Court: Court 1.
Scheduled time: Estimated 12:40 p.m. local time.
Women’s Singles Final
An Se Young (South Korea) vs. P. V. Sindhu (India)
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Venue: Arena Grand Paris, France.
Court: Court 1.
Scheduled time: 11:00 a.m. local time.
All scheduled times are local to France and may change depending on the tournament’s order of play.
Complete Tournament Results
Women’s Doubles – Semifinals
Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) defeated Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum (Indonesia), 21-18, 21-15.
Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia) defeated Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (Japan), 21-17, 22-20.
Mixed Doubles – Semifinals
Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China) defeated Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (France), 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.
Hoo Pang Ron/Lai Pei Jing (Malaysia) defeated Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (China), 21-13, 21-9.
Women’s Singles – Semifinals
An Se Young (South Korea) defeated Nozomi Okuhara (Japan), 21-12, 21-19.
P. V. Sindhu (India) defeated Hina Akechi (Japan), 21-10, 20-22, 21-16.
