Alex Lanier

Alex Lanier
Alex Lanier at the Singapore Open 2026
Personal information
Born (2005-01-26) 26 January 2005 (age 21)
Caen, France
Years active2020–present
Sport
CountryFrance
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byKęstutis Navickas
Men's singles
Career record212 wins, 69 losses
Highest ranking4 (27 October 2026)
Current ranking5 (3 November 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  France
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 New DelhiMen's singles
Thomas Cup
Silver medal – second place2026 HorsensMen's team
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2025 HorsensMen's singles
European Mixed Team Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 Aire-sur-la-LysMixed team
Silver medal – second place2025 BakuMixed team
European Team Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 IstanbulMen's team
Silver medal – second place2024 ŁódźMen's team
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place2023 SpokaneBoys' singles
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 BelgradeBoys' singles
Silver medal – second place2022 BelgradeMixed team

Alex Lanier (born 26 January 2005) is a French badminton player. A world champion, European champion and European junior champion, he won gold medals in the 2026 World Championships, the 2025 European Championships and the 2022 European Junior Championships. He is also a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships. As a French badminton player in men's singles, he became the first ever world champion, European champion and BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament champion in history by also winning the 2024 Japan Open. He is also the second-youngest men's singles world champion in history at 21 years old after Icuk Sugiarto who achieved the same feat at the 1983 World Championships at 20.

Career

Alex Lanier started playing badminton at the age of 3 and later joined the Dives-sur-Mer badminton club. In 2019, he left the Dives-sur-Mer, to join the club of Strasbourg, to compete in the French interclub division. In 2020, he joined INSEP at the age of only 15.

In June 2021, Lanier competed in the Lithuanian International tournament and won his first international title in the final by defeating Canada's player B. R. Sankeerth. Afterwards, he managed to advance to the final at the Latvia International, but lost to India's Meiraba Luwang Maisnam. He bounced back at the Italian International and won his second international title by defeating Czech player Jan Louda.

Lanier opened the 2022 season by winning the Estonian International. He then clinched the boys' singles title at the European Junior Championships. In October, he secured his first win on a World Tour event at the age of only 17, as he defeated Japanese Takuma Obayashi at the Canada Open.

Lanier started the 2023 season as a finalist in the Estonian International. He participated at the European Mixed Team Championships, where the team finished runner-up. He then went to win his first title of the year at the Polish Open. In October, he won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. At the end of the season, hi reached the finals in the Irish Open, and semi-finals in the BWF World Tour, the Hylo Open and Syed Modi International.

Lanier won his first title in 2024 at the Luxembourg Open. In the next tournament, he finished as finalist in the Denmark Challenge and won the Nantes International. He played at the Canada Open, losing the final to Koki Watanabe. Lanier then won the Japan Open title at a young age 19 years old. He defeated seeded player en-route to the final. The 19-year-old did it in sensational fashion, taking down world number 1 Shi Yuqi in rubber games in the semi-finals. By winning the Japan Open, he became the first ever French player to win a BWF World Tour Super 750 event.

Despite an early losses at the Malaysia and India Opens in January, Lanier went on to win his maiden title in 2025 at the Orleans Masters. He then entered to top 10 men's singles at the BWF World ranking on 11 March 2025. In his debut at the All England Open, he managed to reach the semi-finals losing to Lee Chia-hao. He managed to win the 2025 European Championships title, becoming the first ever French men's singles player to win the title. He also finished runner-up in the Japan Open.

In 2026, Lanier and the French team captured the gold medal by breaking Denmark's long-standing dominance in the European Men's Team Championships. He then won the home soil title in the Orléans Masters defeating Toma Junior Popov in the final. He also made history with the French team, which reached the final of the Thomas Cup for the first time, and won the silver medal after being defeated by China. A month later, he won the Singapore Open against the home favourite, Loh Kean Yew in the final.

He became a world champion in the 2026 BWF World Championships, held in New Delhi, India, after beating Kodai Naraoka by 21–11 and 21–11. It was the first world title in men's single category for France. Two months later, he grabbed a Denmark Open title against another home favourite, Anders Antonsen in three games.

Achievements

BWF World Championships

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2026 Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, India Japan Kodai Naraoka 21–11, 21–11 Gold Gold

European Championships

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Forum, Horsens, Denmark France Toma Junior Popov 21–17, 21–18 Gold Gold

BWF World Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 The Podium, Spokane, United States China Hu Zhe'an 20–22, 20–22 Bronze Bronze

European Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 Athletic Hall Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia Denmark Jakob Houe 21–18, 21–12 Gold Gold

BWF World Tour (6 titles, 2 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 Canada Open Super 100 Japan Takuma Obayashi 21–12, 12–21, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2024 Canada Open Super 500 Japan Koki Watanabe 22–20, 17–21, 6–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2024 Japan Open Super 750 Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 21–17, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2025 Orléans Masters Super 300 Chinese Taipei Lin Chun-yi 21–13, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2025 Japan Open Super 750 China Shi Yuqi 17–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2026 Orléans Masters Super 300 France Toma Junior Popov 21–11, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2026 Singapore Open Super 750 Singapore Loh Kean Yew 17–21, 21–15, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2026 Denmark Open Super 750 Denmark Anders Antonsen 21–15, 13–21, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

BWF International Challenge / Series (6 titles, 4 runners-up)

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2021 Lithuanian International Canada B. R. Sankeerth 18–21, 23–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2021 Latvia International India Meiraba Maisnam 15–21, 21–12, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2021 Italian International Czech Republic Jan Louda 21–12, 18–21, 21–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2022 Estonian International Malaysia Kok Jing Hong 22–20, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2023 Estonian International Japan Yushi Tanaka 13–21, 21–15, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2023 Polish Open Finland Kalle Koljonen 21–14, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2023 Irish Open Republic of Ireland Nhat Nguyen 13–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2024 Luxembourg Open Singapore Jason Teh 21–17, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2024 Denmark Challenge Japan Yushi Tanaka 21–15, 12–21, 11–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2024 Nantes International Spain Pablo Abián 21–14, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Individual competitions

  • Senior level
Events20252026Ref
World Championships 3R G
TournamentBWF World TourBestRef
20222023202420252026
Malaysia Open A 1R QF QF ('26)
India Open A 2R 1R 2R ('25)
Indonesia Masters A Q2 A Q2 ('24)
German Open A 1R 2R A 2R ('24)
All England Open A SF 1R SF ('25)
Swiss Open A 2R A 2R ('24)
Orléans Masters Q1 QF QF W W W ('25, '26)
Malaysia Masters A 2R 2R ('25)
Singapore Open A 1R W W ('25)
Indonesia Open A QF QF QF ('25, '26)
U.S. Open NH A 1R A 1R ('24)
Canada Open W A F A W ('22)
Japan Open A W F 2R W ('24)
China Open NH A 1R A 1R ('25)
China Masters NH A 2R QF w/d QF ('25)
Arctic Open A QF A QF ('24)
Denmark Open A SF SF W W ('26)
French Open A 1R SF 'SF ('26)
Hylo Open A SF w/d SF A SF ('23, '25)
Korea Open A 1R A 1R ('24)
Japan Masters N/A A 1R A 1R ('24)
Hong Kong Open A Q ('26)
Al Ain Masters N/A QF NH A QF ('23)
Syed Modi International A SF A QF ('23)
Guwahati Masters N/A QF A QF ('23)
Spain Masters NH Q2 A NH Q2 ('23)
World Tour Finals DNQ Q ('26)
Year-end ranking 65 44 18 8 4

References

  1. ↑ "Alex Lanier | Profile". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Prigent, Irène (13 April 2025). "Badminton : Alex Lanier, originaire du Calvados, sacré champion d'Europe" (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Alex Lanier wins Japan Open at age 19, a first for French badminton". Le Monde. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Alex Lanier crowned men's singles world champion in red-letter day for French badminton". The Straits Times. 23 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Chatel, Aline (5 July 2020). "Les pépites du sport à Caen (3/5). Alex Lanier, le prodige du badminton" (in French). Actu.fr. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  6. 1 2 Raftery, Alan (14 June 2021). "Alex Lanier Remember the name". Ukrainian Badminton Federation. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  7. 1 2 Raftery, Alan (30 August 2021). "Polina Buhrova leads the way for Ukraine". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Perfly Italian International 2021 : Alex Lanier vainqueur !" (in French). French Badminton Federation. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 Godin, Stéphane (16 January 2022). "Tout juste remis du Covid, le Strasbourgeois Alex Lanier remporte l'Open d'Estonie" (in French). DNA. Archived from the original on 23 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  10. 1 2 Gonzalez Martinez, Sara (27 August 2022). "Writing history in the 2022 European Junior Championships". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  11. 1 2 "L'Alsacien Alex Lanier entre dans l'histoire en remportant son premier tournoi du World Tour au Canada" (in French). L'Alsace. 3 October 2021. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 Briard, Gaëtan (15 January 2023). "Badminton. En Estonie, le Normand Alex Lanier (17 ans) perd en finale mais se distingue encore" (in French). Ouest-France. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "Badminton - Championnats d'Europe Une France d'or ou d'argent ?" (in French). L'Alsace. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "La France médaillée d'argent aux Championnats d'Europe par équipes mixtes" (in French). L'Équipe. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  15. 1 2 Fuchs, Thomas (27 March 2023). "Lanier wins International Challenge". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 23 March 2026 – via Ukrainian Badminton Federation.
  16. 1 2 Pineau, Valentin (9 October 2023). "Badminton. "Alex Lanier en bronze, c'est vraiment un exploit", juge le coach des Bleuets" (in French). Ouest-France. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Nhat Nguyen produces brilliant comeback to win Irish Open". RTÉ. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  18. ↑ "Hylo Open: Chou Inches Towards Record". Badminton World Federation. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  19. ↑ "Le Strasbourgeois Alex Lanier à une marche de la finale en Inde" (in French). DNA. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Hohes Niveau und ernüchternde Ergebnisse für die Luxemburger: So liefen die 3. Luxembourg Open" (in German). Tageblatt. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Lanier battu en finale à Farum" (in French). L'Alsace. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Badminton - Forza Nantes : En patron Alex Lanier remporte le Nantes International Challenge". Journal Nantes Sport (in French). 16 June 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  23. 1 2 Sukumar, Dev (8 July 2024). "Canada Open: 'Dream Come True'". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  24. ↑ Kumar, Prem (25 August 2024). "Japan Open: Lanier's here". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  25. ↑ Boopathy, K. M. (8 January 2025). "Kunlavut and Lanier impress at Malaysia Open". New Straits Times. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  26. ↑ Mohanarangan, Vinayakk (17 January 2025). "India Open Super 750: Kiran George's stirring fightback the highlight; Satwik-Chirag and PV Sindhu post contrasting wins". The India Express. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  27. 1 2 Huguen, Morgane (9 March 2025). "Badminton. « Je suis très fier » : Impérial, le Normand Alex Lanier remporte le Masters d'Orléans" (in French). Ouest-France. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  28. ↑ "Alex Lanier grimpe à la 10e place mondiale en simple, Toma Junior Popov 17e" (in French). L'Équipe. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  29. ↑ "Lee one of three first-time finalists through in morning session". All England Badminton. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  30. 1 2 "Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title". RFI. 20 July 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  31. ↑ "European Championships: France, Bulgaria upstage Denmark". Badminton World Federation. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  32. 1 2 Lhôte, Martin (22 March 2026). "Alex Lanier conserve son titre, Gicquel et Delrue aussi sacrés : les Français régalent à l'Orléans Masters de badminton" (in French). La République du Centre. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  33. ↑ Pineau, Valentin (4 May 2026). "Badminton. Thomas Cup : « C'était un peu une colonie de vacances » : Alex Lanier débriefe la médaille d'argent des Bleus". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  34. 1 2 de Villiers, Ockert (31 May 2026). "BWF Singapore Open: Alex Lanier powers past Loh Kean Yew for men's crown". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  35. ↑ "Alex Lanier sacré champion du monde en simple, une deuxième médaille d'or pour le badminton français". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Lanier clinches world title in historic double for French badminton". The Sun. 23 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  37. 1 2 "Denmark Open 2026: An Se-young defends women's singles title, Lanier denies Antonsen glory at home". Sportstar. 18 October 2026. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  38. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  39. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.