Frances Alex Lanier celebrates his victory over China's Shi Yuqi after their men's singles semi-final in the Japan Open. - Yuichi YAMAZAKI/ AFP
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Alex Lanier of France is having the best time of his life.
On Saturday (Aug 24), the 19-year-old dumped world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 17-21, 21-16, 21-18 in the sem-finals of the Japan Open at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama.
It is his first final in a major tournament and trust the youngster to go all out to finish it strongly when he takes on Taiwan's seasoned campaigner Chou Tien-chen.
World No. 29 Lanier had beaten Lee Zii Jia in the first round, Chico Auro of Indonesia (second) and Kenta Nishimoto of Japan (quarter-finals) - all ranked higher than him - en route to the final.
Lanier, who won the bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Spokane, United States, in 2023, is currently the third ranked player in France after the Popov brothers Toma Junior (19) and Christo (26).
The youngster is happy to see his hard work bearing fruit.
"I'm probably playing my best badminton now. I was also in the Canada Open final a month and a half ago. These have been the best two tournaments of my life," said Lanier in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
"During the Olympics, I was working hard in training, with emphasis on how to win at the highest level. It seems to be working.
Lanier marked his entry into the senior scene by winning the Lithuanian International in 2021 and went on to win the Canada Open in 2022.
