France’s Alex Lanier, the 20-year-old badminton sensation currently ranked world No. 8, is embracing the immense pressure as he prepares for the World Championships in Paris, set to begin on August 25. Fresh off a remarkable win over Malaysia’s Jun Hao at the Japan Open, Lanier is confident and focused on achieving glory on home soil.
“I’m not the underdog anymore. I just need to stay focused,” Lanier declared, acknowledging his rapid ascent in the sport.
Lanier’s breakout year has been nothing short of spectacular, highlighted by several significant achievements:
- European Champion (2025): At just 20 years and 77 days old, Lanier made history by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the European Championships in men’s singles, defeating compatriot Toma Junior Popov in an all-French final.
- Japan Open Champion (2024): He secured a prestigious BWF World Tour Super 750 title, a first for a French player, overcoming top contenders including world number one Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals and Chou Tien-chen in the final.
- Orléans Masters Champion (2025): Adding another BWF World Tour Super 300 title to his name, he triumphed over Lin Chun-yi.
- Canada Open Champion (2022): Lanier claimed his first World Tour event victory at just 17 years old, winning the Super 100 title.
His impressive career also includes significant success at the junior level, where he was a boys’ singles gold medalist at the 2022 European Junior Championships and a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships. In 2022, he was ranked world No. 1 junior and has been voted best player by the French Badminton Federation for two consecutive years.
With a string of impressive victories and a burgeoning career, Lanier is poised to shine once again, this time with the added motivation of competing in front of his home crowd at the World Championships in Paris.