The YONEX French Open 2025 has suffered a major blow with top seed and defending men’s singles champion Shi Yu Qi forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. The reigning world champion had been eager to defend his title in Rennes following his runner-up finish at last week’s Denmark Open. Shi was scheduled to face Wang Tzu Wei at the Glaz Arena but will now miss the tournament.
Shi’s withdrawal triggers a reshuffle in the men’s singles draw, with rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn moving up to face Wang Tzu Wei in the opening round. Notably, Shi had defeated the Thai Olympic silver medallist in last year’s French Open final, making this year’s men’s singles category an open contest.
China’s top women’s doubles pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning also pulled out of the event. The duo exited in the Denmark Open quarterfinals, with Liu still recovering from injury. Their spot in the draw will now be taken by Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
Other notable withdrawals across categories include:
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Men’s singles: Shi Yu Qi, Wang Zheng Xing
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Women’s singles: Pornpawee Chochuwong, Supanida Katethong
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Women’s doubles: Liu Sheng Shu / Tan Ning
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Mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila / Tanisha Crasto, Kevin Lee / Eliana Zhang
Promoted players replacing withdrawals are:
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Men’s singles: Victor Lai, Julien Carraggi
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Women’s singles: Wen Yu Zhang, Juliana Viana Vieira
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Women’s doubles: Nikol Carulla / Carmen Maria Jimenez
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Mixed doubles: Mathias Christiansen / Alexandra Boje, Oleksii Titov / Yevheniia Kantemyr
With several key contenders out, the 2025 YONEX French Open promises unpredictable and exciting competition across all categories.
