Lanier to face Naraoka; Se-young to meet Yamaguchi in World Championships singles finals
Alex Lanier and Kodai Naraoka will contest the men’s singles final and An Se-young will meet Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s title match at the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi, the semifinals concluded on August 22, 2026. The stage is set for both singles finals after the evening session of semifinals.
The men’s final will produce a first-time world champion, with both Lanier and Naraoka guaranteed their first World championships medal; Lanier is 21 years old. The women’s title clash pairs the defending champion, An Se-young, against three-time winner Akane Yamaguchi, with Se-young holding a 19-15 head-to-head advantage.
Lanier reached the decider by defeating Canada’s Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14, recovering from a game down as he has on multiple occasions during the tournament, including his quarterfinal against Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The Frenchman described his mindset after the semifinal, saying, "At some point you need to trust how good you are."
Kodai Naraoka overcame veteran Chou Tien Chen after dropping the opening game 17-21, then taking the next two 21-11, 21-10. Chou, 36, had been pursuing a second record after becoming the oldest men’s singles medallist in World championships history, but Naraoka’s patience and rallying ended that bid.
Akane Yamaguchi advanced with a composed 21-12, 21-17 victory over Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong and became the only women’s singles player to win six World championships medals. That sixth medal puts Yamaguchi on a unique run of podium finishes at this event.
An Se-young survived a gruelling semifinal against Wang Zhi Yi, edging the first game 24-22 before closing out the second 21-16; she appeared to struggle with her left leg late in the second set and sealed the win with a net dribble at 20-16. Reflecting after the match, Se-young said, "I’m looking forward to how I perform."
The upcoming men’s and women’s singles finals will decide the World champions for 2026.