The 2024 BWF year has got off to a blazing start with surprising results in the Malaysia Open and the India Open. At the Malaysia Open, Viktor Axelsen was denied by Shi Yuqi, who eventually lost in the final against unseeded Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen.
However, at the India Open, Shi Yuqi regained his dominance by defeating India’s HS Prannoy in the semi-final and Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in the final to win the men’s singles event at the Super 750 event. Nevertheless, Axelsen and Anders Antonsen’s withdrawal from the tournament didn’t let Yuqi complete his revenge.
In the women’s division, the top four ranked shuttlers have been eminently dominant in all the tournaments of the ongoing calendar year. South Korea’s An Se-young lifted the top prize in Malaysia while Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying was crowned the winner at the India Open.
Nevertheless, it’s time for the shuttlers to gear up for the second Super 750 tournament of the year, the French Open. The French Open, which is also called the Yonex Internationaux de France de Badminton, is one of the six Super 750 tournaments in a BWF calendar year.
The first edition of the competition took place in 1908, and for almost three decades, the tournament was heavily dominated by England. However, after 1940, the hosts also started enjoying podium finishes. The tournament became a part of the BWF Super Series in 2007 and in 2018, the French Open officially became a Super 750 tournament.
AC Bahree was the first Indian to achieve a podium finish in the tournament as he reached the milestone in 1956 in the men’s doubles category alongside Malaysia’s CL Yap. Vimal Kumar was the first Indian to win the top prize in the men’s singles category (1983 and 1984) while in the women’s singles, the peak was reached by Aparna Popat in 1998.
Dates
The 2024 edition of the Yonex French Open will commence on March 5 with the men’s singles draw. The Round of 32 as well as the Round of 16 matches will be completed in the initial two days of the tournament. With the final and medal ceremony on the last day, the Super 750 tournament will end on March 10.
However, despite being a top tournament, a few shutters are expected to skip the competition due to the All England Championship, which will take place between 12 to 17 March. Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships is one of the only four Super 1000 tournaments in the BWF calendar. Apart from the Super 1000 event, other tournaments such as the Orleans Masters, Swiss Open and Madrid Spain Masters are also scheduled to take place in March.
Venues
The 2024 French Open will take place at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, which is also known as the Paris Arena II or Adidas Arena, which is situated in the French capital. The main arena at the venue for sporting events offers a total capacity of 8,000 seated spectators. Between 2020 to 2024, the Adidas Arena went through a major renovation.
The Porte de La Chapelle Arena also hosts basketball games
The Arena is also home to Paris Basketball, which is a team based in the French capital. Moreover, the arena will also be playing a major role in the 2024 Summer Olympics as events of Gymnastics, Badminton, and Wrestling are expected to take place in the same place.
Format Explainer
Just like any other top tournament in the BWF calendar, the French Open is also played in five traditional categories, namely, Men Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. A knockout format is followed in all the categories, which starts from the Round of 32 and goes all the way down to the final.
As per the BWF, all the total prize money out of the Super 750 tournament is set at US$ 850,000. Interestingly, the total prize money has seen a US$ 100,000 hike as it was US$ 750,000 during the 2023 edition. Hence, all the qualifying shuttlers will be receiving an increased sum of money during the upcoming edition.
| Points Distribution | Prize Money (Singles) | Prize Money (Doubles) | |
| Winner | 11,000 | $59,500 | $62,900 |
| Runner-up | 9,350 | $28,900 | $29,750 |
| Semi-finalist | 7,700 | $11,900 | $11,900 |
| Quarter-finalist | 6,050 | $4,675 | $5312.5 |
| Round of 16 | 4,320 | $2,550 | $2,762.5 |
| Round of 32 | 2,660 | $850 | $850 |
Star Attractions
Men’s singles defending champion Jonatan Christie will start his campaign in the upcoming tournament against Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-wei. However, the likes of Shi Yuqi, Li Shifeng, Viktor Axelsen, and Anders Antonsen are expected to dominate the men’s singles category. Yuqi also has a fair opportunity to overtake World no. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the BWF rankings.
India’s HS Prannoy has been seeded seventh ahead of the French Open in the men’s singles category. He’ll be facing China’s Lu Guangzu in the first round. Moreover, he can potentially face compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in the second round if he manages to defeat Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen. Priyanshu Rajawat and Lakshya Sen will also be exhibiting India’s participation in the men’s singles event at the Super 750 event.
Following her current form, South Korea’s An Se-young is a top contender for the French Open title ahead of defending champion China’s Chen Yufei
However, in the women’s singles, South Korea’s An Se-young has managed to secure a fair lead on the top rank. Moreover, she majorly prefers playing at the tournament. Nevertheless, the likes of China’s Chen Yufei, Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-Ying and Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi are expected to give tough competition to the top candidate in the French Open.
PV Sindhu has also made a successful return from a significant injury layoff. She will be India’s only participant in the women’s singles. In the women’s doubles, the pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will lock horns against Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in the first round.
The Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be leading the men’s doubles division as the top seeds. They’ll start their campaign against the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, who reached the semi-final of the German Open last week.