Second seed Alex Lanier bounced back from recent setbacks by defending his title at Orleans Masters 2026.

The world No.10 had fallen in the first round of his last two tournaments, and revealed that his focus on mental toughness paid off as he put in an aggressive performance against compatriot Toma Junior Popov, who was outplayed from start to finish, with Lanier closing it out 21-11 21-13.

“I approached this tournament in a different way,” said Lanier. “I tried to go on court with anger and also this mental toughness I was maybe missing the last few tournaments. I felt I did pretty good. I don’t think Tommy played extremely well but that’s how it is.

“We tried to analyse the last tournaments and we prepared with the mental coach, with my own coach also, to pass that few percentage (points) I was missing. I needed to be more than 100 per cent mentally. To be honest, I just feel better.

“I’m trying also to put extra focus on the legs to get behind the shuttle. The shuttle was fast today and with the conditions, I had to adapt my game and put extra focus on aggressiveness and changing my rhythm at the right time.

“Personally it was good. I spent the whole week with my parents in a small house so I got the family atmosphere as well, I know a lot of the people here. It’s very good and I’m proud to deliver a second title here.”

Lanier’s speed around the court and his explosiveness meant Popov could never assert control, and the Frenchman admitted his late night finish on Saturday had caused him to lose his sharpness for the final.

“It was tough. I missed accuracy in my shots. My legs were tired, he was fresh and he was confident and played well,” said Popov. “He was just better today. It’s more because I finished late yesterday, went to bed at 2am, so it wasn’t the best recovery. I tried my best but it was not enough. Mentally I was tired. I was at three tournaments before this, so it was still a good European tour.”

France finished their home tournament with two titles, with Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue regaining the title they last won seven years ago. The French duo were too solid for Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Boje, cruising to victory in the second game, 21-19 21-13.

“To win at home, it’s a special moment,” said Delrue. “We are proud, we wanted to win more titles this year. The difference was mental, we needed to have more focus and we had to want to win more than them. It was a hard week for us. We are proud of everything this week.”

Other Highlights

» In a clash between generations, veteran Nozomi Okuhara prevailed over young star Pitchamon Opatniputh for her first HSBC BWF World Tour title since the Syed Modi International in December 2023.

» Japan’s Sumire Nakade/Miyu Takahashi triumphed in their first campaign together, beating Lin Chih-Chun/Yang Chu Yun 22-20 12-21 21-18. This was Nakade’s first World Tour event – her only previous international experience was the FISU Games last year.

» Hu Ke Yuan/Lin Xiang Yi won China’s sole title, beating Hiroki Okamura/Kyohei Yamashita in the men’s doubles final, 21-19 21-14.

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