The defending champion of the BWF World Tour Finals was eliminated in the opening round of the Malaysia Open 2026.

A major upset occurred on the very first day of the prestigious Malaysia Open 2026 badminton tournament.

The current champion of the BWF World Tour Finals - Christo Popov (ranked 7th globally) surprisingly lost 1-2 (21-13; 19-21; 21-23) to Lee Cheuk Yiu (ranked 18th worldwide) in his opening match at the Super 1000 Malaysia Open 2026 held on the afternoon of January 6th, Vietnam time.

Favored to win, Christo Popov started very strong and quickly dominated Lee Cheuk Yiu. The French player scored six consecutive points to lead 14-8 and then comfortably maintained his advantage to win the first game decisively.

In the second game, Popov still held the lead, ahead 14-9. It seemed the 23-year-old star would easily secure a 2-0 victory, but Lee Cheuk Yiu mounted an incredible comeback, leveling at 19-19, then reaching game-point first and fully capitalizing on the opportunity to push the match into a decisive third game.

A similar pattern unfolded as Popov was stronger in the first half but got trapped by Lee’s exceptional defensive skills. The Hong Kong player showed remarkable endurance and sharp counterattacks, reminiscent of Christo Popov’s style at the 2025 World Tour Finals nearly a month ago, sealing a brave 2-1 victory.

Lee Cheuk Yiu continues to prove he is a very tough opponent, having previously defeated top players like Jonatan Christie, Chou Tien-chen, Viktor Axelsen, Li Shifeng, and Shi Yuqi. For Christo Popov, 2026 promises to be a challenging season as rivals will prepare more thoroughly compared to last year when the European player was an exciting breakthrough.

Popov’s peak came at the World Tour Finals held in Hangzhou, China, at the end of December 2025. He defeated all the top badminton stars: Christie, Anders Antonsen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Kodai Naraoka, and finally Shi Yuqi in the final, earning a huge prize and rising to 7th in the world rankings.

Besides Christo Popov, his older brother Toma Junior Popov and several other notable players such as "The Hammer" Lee Zii Jia, the men’s doubles team Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, and the women’s doubles pair Arisa Igarashi/Chiharu Shida also had to end their runs early at the Malaysia Open 2026.