Alex Lanier, long touted as a future badminton star, has served notice of his arrival to the senior circuit.

And the 19-year-old did it in sensational fashion, taking down world No.1 Shi Yu Qi 17-21 21-16 21-18 in the semifinals of DAIHATSU Japan Open 2024 – his first Super 750 tournament – on Saturday.

Prior to stunning Shi, the world No.29 beat world No.6 Lee Zii Jia, experienced Indonesian Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo and 2022 edition-winning world No.11 Kenta Nishimoto. After acing his quarterfinal against Nishimoto, Lanier said “I’m probably playing the best badminton of my life”.

It showed; in reining Shi, the French teenager displayed the assuredness of a seasoned pro. Dropping the opener against the mighty Chinese neither daunted nor deterred Lanier.

“I played my best with what I had. I tried to find the right tactics and impose my tempo. I needed to control the rally, not the opposite. I’m proud of the way I managed the match and found solutions on court,” said Lanier.

“Shi played an extremely good first game. In the second, I tried keeping him under constant pressure. As a result, he was losing the shot quality. It gave me confidence I was doing the right thing.”

Lanier’s exploits won the approval of the vanquished top seed.

“When he encountered problems, he adapted and changed his game plan better than I did. He’s a strong player,” said Shi.

One more win, against old-timer Chou Tien Chen, would land Lanier eternal Japan Open acclaim – no French player has graced the top of a podium here. However, result immaterial, Lanier will leave Yokohama more convinced than ever he’s not far off transitioning to elite badminton.

“I’m ready to fight against the best players in the world,” he declared.

“It’s a challenge for me. Now it’s about finding this level all the time. I want to prove to myself I have it. Fans and journalists say I can reach the level but it’s a whole different thing doing it on court and that’s what I’m trying. It’s the right thing for me, to stay consistent and not be too emotional in matches, just keep to my game and remember what I am on court for.”

→ Results (Semifinals)

→ Order of play (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“There’s another match to play so we must stay focused. We are aware of fan expectations back home. We take it as a motivation, not pressure.” – Goh Sze Fei after he and Nur Izzuddin made their biggest final on the HSBC BWF World Tour

“Japan Open is special to me. Honestly, I wasn’t so well-prepared this time so it became more important to stay relaxed and have fun on court.” – Akane Yamaguchi