Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun beat Sze Fei-Izzuddin to end Malaysia's 22-year French Open wait

Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun are French Open champions. The unseeded Malaysians came from a game down to beat compatriots Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 13-21, 21-15, 21-7 in Sunday's all-Malaysian men's doubles final at Arena Grand Paris. The win ended a 22-year wait for a Malaysian men's doubles title in Paris and gave the pair their first crown at Super 750 level.

How the final unfolded

Sze Fei and Izzuddin, the sixth seeds and world No. 5, controlled the opening game and took it 21-13. Wei Chong and Kai Wun, ranked 11th in the world, settled in the second, levelled the match with a 21-15 game and then ran away with the decider, conceding only seven points. Bernama reported that the final lasted 44 minutes.

The scoreline in the third game was lopsided, but the route to the final was not easy for either pair. Sze Fei and Izzuddin had knocked out South Korea's world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae 21-15, 21-18 in the quarter-finals, while Wei Chong and Kai Wun entered the week without a seeding.

Ending a 22-year wait

The last Malaysians to win the French Open men's doubles title were Gan Teik Chai and Koo Kien Keat in 2004. Having two Malaysian pairs in the final meant the title was guaranteed to come home once the semi-finals were over, and the result capped a week in which Malaysia also reached the women's doubles and mixed doubles finals.

The title is a sharp turnaround for Wei Chong and Kai Wun. The Star noted that they had reunited only recently after close to five months apart, during which Wei Chong was recovering from a knee injury, and that they had gone out in the first round of the Denmark Open the previous week. Paris was Wei Chong's first title since his return.

Prize money and ranking impact

According to Bernama, the champions take home US$70,300 from the US$950,000 prize pot, while Sze Fei and Izzuddin collect US$33,250 as runners-up. A Super 750 title also carries significant ranking points, which should help Wei Chong and Kai Wun climb from 11th as they chase places at the season-ending World Tour Finals.

For Sze Fei and Izzuddin, defeat in the final takes nothing away from a strong season that has already brought the Indonesia Masters title in January and the Indonesia Open crown in June.

Other finals in Paris

The rest of finals day did not go Malaysia's way. Second seeds Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah won the first game of the women's doubles final 21-10 but lost 21-17, 21-16 in the next two to Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. In mixed doubles, Hoo Pang Ron and Lai Pei Jing were beaten 21-10, 21-13 by China's top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping.

In the singles, South Korea's An Se-young recovered from a game down to beat India's P. V. Sindhu 16-21, 21-11, 21-12, and France's Christo Popov delighted the home crowd by beating Indonesia's Moh Zaki Ubaidillah 21-11, 14-21, 21-13 in the men's final.

Key takeaways

• Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun beat Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin 13-21, 21-15, 21-7 in an all-Malaysian French Open final.
• It is Malaysia's first French Open men's doubles title since Gan Teik Chai-Koo Kien Keat in 2004.
• The unseeded world No. 11 pair lost in the Denmark Open first round only a week earlier.
• Malaysia reached three of the five finals in Paris but won only the men's doubles.
• The champions earned US$70,300; the runners-up US$33,250.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 French Open men's doubles title? Malaysia's Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, who beat fellow Malaysians Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 13-21, 21-15, 21-7 in the final on Sunday, 25 October.

When did Malaysia last win the French Open men's doubles? In 2004, when Gan Teik Chai and Koo Kien Keat took the title, so Sunday's result ended a 22-year gap.

What level of tournament is the French Open? It is a BWF World Tour Super 750 event, with total prize money of US$950,000 in 2026, held at Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France.

Sources: Bernama, The Star, Badminton Planet, Lumi News, Wikipedia