Ubed Secures Spot in the 2026 French Open Final After Defeating Alex Lanier in a Three-Game Duel.

Indonesian Men's Singles badminton athlete Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah, affectionately nicknamed Ubed, has successfully secured a spot in the French Open 2026 final. He progressed to the title decider after overcoming France's home representative Alex Lanier in a three-game semi-final clash on Saturday, 24 October 2026, with a final scoreline of 21-16, 16-21, 21-17.

According to official tournament statistics, Ubed put in a confident performance right from the start of the match held at Grand Arena, Paris. The Indonesian player was able to control the flow of the first game despite Lanier receiving full backing from the home crowd.

Ubed maintained his advantage to close out the opening game 21-16. However, Lanier stepped up his resistance in the second set, throwing the match wide open once again.

The two players traded points back and forth until the score was level at 10-10. From that point onwards, Lanier seized momentum, pulled ahead on the scoreboard, and took the second game 21-16, forcing the match into a deciding third set.

In the final decider game, Ubed came under early pressure at the start of play. Despite this, the 19-year-old Indonesian shuttler turned the tide of the match by adjusting his playing rhythm and stepping up the intensity of his attacks.

This adjustment paid off. Ubed held an 11-7 lead at the mid-game interval, and worked to retain his point gap over Lanier. The home representative repeatedly launched fast attacks to try and close the deficit, but Ubed kept his composure through every critical rally.

Ubed eventually reached match point at 20-17, before converting his next opportunity to seal the 21-17 victory and bring the 1 hour 14 minute contest to an end.

This win over Lanier marks a major career milestone for Ubed: this is the first time he has qualified for the final of a BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.

Ubed's run to the final has already included victories over several formidable opponents. Prior to facing Lanier, he defeated Japan's Koki Watanabe, followed by Taiwan's Chi Yu Jen in the Quarter Final round.

Ubed will face another French player, Christo Popov, in the final match scheduled for Sunday 25 October 2026. Popov booked his own place in the title match earlier, after defeating Chinese shuttler Hu Zhe An.

This upcoming fixture will give Ubed the chance to claim his first ever tournament title in Paris, as well as set a new career landmark at one of the most prestigious events on the BWF World Tour calendar.