(FILES) France's Christo Popov hits a return to Japan's Kodai Naraoka during their men's singles semifinal match at the BWF Badminton World Tour Finals at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province on December 20, 2025. France's Christo Popov, who was crowned champion at the French Open, on October 25, 2026, in Tremblay (Seine-Saint-Denis), is set to become the world No. 1 in badmintona first for a French badminton player. (Photo by Jade Gao / AFP via Getty Images)