Thom GICQUEL and Delphine DELRUE fall just short of the final

After a commanding week, the French duo were aiming to maintain their strong run of form and book a ticket to the final, having already reached this stage earlier this year at the European Championships. To do so, they needed to overcome CHEN/TOH, familiar opponents who held the head-to-head advantage with three wins to two. However, Thom and Delphine had won their most recent clash, in the semi-finals of the India Open just a few weeks ago. 

From the very first rallies, the intensity matched what everyone expected from such a high-stakes encounter. Backed by a buzzing adidas arena, GICQUEL and DELRUE stood toe-to-toe with the Malaysians but trailed at the interval (11/8). The French pair fought their way back midway through the first game, but CHEN Tang Jie and TOH Ee We forced multiple errors from their opponents and secured the opening game (21/18). 

In the second game, Thom and Delphine looked determined to get revenge on their conquerors in the round of 16 of the 2023 World Championships. But the Malaysians came out firing (4/0). Although the French managed to respond, CHEN and TOH remained firmly in control at the mid-game interval (11/7). Ranked no.8 in the world, GICQUEL and DELRUE pushed hard to close the gap, but moments of impatience led to costly errors (14/18). The Malaysian duo stayed composed until the end and sealed their spot in the final (21/16).