KUALA LUMPUR: France have conquered Europe. Now they have their sights set on the Thomas Cup.
Malaysia may be focused on ending their 34-year wait for badminton’s premier team prize, but France’s stunning breakthrough at the European Team Championships is a warning — the road to glory in Horsens will be anything but simple.
The Thomas Cup will be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24-May 3, and France have emerged as genuine contenders after dethroning defending champions Denmark 3-2 in Sunday’s European final in Istanbul.
Denmark struck first when Anders Antonsen defeated Christo Popov 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 to hand the traditional powerhouse an early lead.
France hit back immediately.
Alex Lanier levelled the tie with a composed 21-16, 21-16 win over Rasmus Gemke to swing the momentum.
Toma Junior Popov then edged past Ditlev Holm 20-22, 21-15, 21-15 to put France 2-1 ahead and within touching distance of a historic triumph.
Denmark’s experienced former world No. 1 men’s doubles pair Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen kept their side alive, beating Eloi Adam-Leo Rossi 21-18, 21-14 to force a deciding fifth match.
France rolled the dice.
They fielded a scratch combination — Thom Gicquel and Toma Junior Popov — against Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in the decisive rubber, a gamble few expected to succeed.
But the French duo rose to the occasion, overpowering the world No. 25 Danes 21-19, 21-12 to seal a famous 3-2 victory.
“It’s unbelievable, I’m about to cry,” Toma Junior told Badminton World Federation.
“When we stepped on court, we wanted to do it for France. We fought like hell and I’m happy it paid off.”
For a nation long overshadowed by Denmark’s dominance in Europe, the triumph was more than symbolic.
“Many times we lost in the finals, but now we finally did it,” he added.
Gicquel, better known as a mixed doubles specialist, said their chemistry proved decisive under pressure.
“With Tommy, we love playing together and we feed off each other. It felt natural from the beginning,” he said.
“We were confident we could perform well, but we knew we had to produce a great match if we wanted to win. It’s finally gold.
“We’ve dreamed about this all our lives. We’ve seen Denmark take the gold too many times, so we’re really happy to bring it home.”
Denmark’s misery extended to the women’s event, where they slumped to a 3-1 defeat to Bulgaria, compounding a disappointing campaign for the Scandinavian powerhouse.
For Malaysia, whose last Thomas Cup triumph came on home soil in 1992, the message is clear.
Alongside traditional heavyweights such as China, Indonesia and Denmark, France must now be added to the growing list of nations capable of shaking up the established order.
As Malaysia plot their own mission in Horsens, overlooking the rapidly rising French would be a costly mistake.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd