Lanier and An Se‑young crowned World champions at 2026 World Badminton Championships in New Delhi
Alex Lanier and An Se-young were crowned world champions at the 2026 World Badminton Championships in New Delhi on August 23, 2026, with Lanier winning the men’s singles title and An Se-young regaining the women’s singles crown. Lanier became the first Frenchman to win the men’s singles world title, while An extended her head-to-head winning run over Akane Yamaguchi to six matches in their 35th meeting.
Lanier, 21, defeated Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in the men’s singles final, while the French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue earlier beat top-ranked Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping 22-20, 19-21, 21-15 to become France’s first-ever world champions in mixed doubles. China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang captured the men’s doubles title with a 21-17, 21-16 victory over Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, a result that ensured China returned with at least one title in every edition of the tournament starting 1983.
Lanier dominated large portions of the final, keeping Naraoka from finding a rhythm and shifting tempo decisively after trailing 9-11 in the opening game to run out 21-11. The second game followed a similar pattern: at 11-14 in the decider Lanier produced a seven-point run to close out the match 21-11, 21-11.
In the women’s final top-ranked An Se-young beat World No. 2 and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14. The opening game was tight, with An leading 15-12 before Yamaguchi took four points in a row to lead 16-15, but An recovered to win 21-17; in the second game An opened a 11-7 lead and moved to 17-13 before finishing 21-14.
The women’s doubles title went to Koreans Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee, who defeated top-seeded Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan 21-15, 21-15. That victory ended a five-match losing streak for Baek and Lee, marked their first straight-games win since the World Tour Finals in 2024, and made them only the second Korean women’s doubles champions, following Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ock in 1995.
The day’s finals produced the following official results: Men’s singles — Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 21-11, 21-11; Men’s doubles — Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang (Chn) bt Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) 21-17, 21-16; Women’s singles — An Se-young (Kor) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 21-17, 21-14; Women’s doubles — Baek Ha Na & Lee So Hee (Kor) bt Sheng Shu Liu & Ning Tan (Chn) 21-15, 21-15; Mixed doubles — Thom Gicquel & Delphine Delrue (Fra) bt Feng Yan Zhe & Huang Dong Ping (Chn) 22-20, 19-21, 21-15.
