French Open badminton: Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing edge Germany's Seidel-Nguyen to reach Paris semi-finals

Malaysia's Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing are into the French Open semi-finals. The mixed doubles pair beat Germany's Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen 21-17, 20-22, 21-18 in 57 minutes in Friday's quarter-finals at the Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France. On Saturday they play China's sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui for a place in Sunday's final of the Super 750 event.

A close finish against the Germans

The Malaysians won a tight first game 21-17, and the Germans took the second by two points, 22-20, to force a decider. Pang Ron and Pei Jing stayed ahead in the third and closed it out 21-18.

Matches like this are where the pair have improved. Seidel and Nguyen were not seeded, but they made the Malaysians work for every point, and a loss would have been a disappointing end to a good week in Paris. Instead, Pang Ron and Pei Jing kept their nerve when the match was on the line.

A third Super 750 semi-final this season

The win gives the pair their third semi-final at Super 750 level in 2026, after the Denmark Open earlier this month and the China Masters, according to Malay Mail. Super 750 tournaments sit just below the Super 1000 events (the All England, Indonesia Open and China Open) in the BWF World Tour, so reaching the last four three times is a sign of real consistency.

It also matters for the BWF World Tour Finals race at the end of the season, where only the top eight in each event qualify. Points from Super 750 semi-finals help a lot at this stage of the year.

Saturday's opponents: Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui

Their opponents had an impressive quarter-final of their own. Guo and Chen lost the first game 21-12 to Denmark's third seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje, then won the next two 21-9, 21-9. According to Malay Mail, it will be the first meeting between the two pairs, so neither side has a head-to-head record to lean on.

In the other half of the mixed doubles draw, France's Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue played Taiwan's Wu Guan-xun and Lee Chia-hsin, and China's top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping played Indonesia's Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah.

The rest of the draw in Paris

France's home hopes are high in men's singles. Christo Popov beat Japan's Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 21-16 and faces China's Hu Zhean, while Alex Lanier came from a game down to beat Toma Junior Popov and now plays Indonesia's Moh Zaki Ubaidillah. A home men's singles champion would be France's first since Henri Pellizza in 1946.

In women's singles, top seed An Se-young beat Han Yue 21-13, 21-16. P.V. Sindhu, Nozomi Okuhara and Hina Akechi also reached the semi-finals.

Each doubles semi-finalist earns US$13,300 per pair from the US$950,000 prize fund, and the champions take US$70,300. The finals are on Sunday 25 October. Paris is six hours behind Malaysia this weekend.

Key takeaways

• Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing beat Seidel-Nguyen 21-17, 20-22, 21-18 in 57 minutes.
• It is their third Super 750 semi-final of 2026, after the Denmark Open and the China Masters.
• They face China's sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui on Saturday, for the first time.
• Guo-Chen came from a game down to beat Denmark's third seeds 12-21, 21-9, 21-9.
• The French Open finals are on Sunday 25 October.

FAQ

Who do Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing play in the French Open semi-finals? They play China's sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui on Saturday 24 October. It will be the first meeting between the two pairs.

What was the score in their quarter-final? They beat Germany's Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen 21-17, 20-22, 21-18. The match lasted 57 minutes.

How much prize money does a French Open semi-finalist win? Doubles semi-finalists receive US$13,300 per pair from the US$950,000 total prize fund. The doubles champions earn US$70,300.

Sources: Malay Mail, Bernama, The Star, Badminton World Tour