Chinese Taipei celebrated a landmark day at YONEX All England Open 2026 as Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan and Lin Chun-yi produced stirring performances to reach their respective finals.

Ye/Chan etched their names into the tournament history books by becoming the first mixed doubles finalists from Chinese Taipei. Their 16-21 21-18 21-16 comeback victory denied Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet what would have been a similarly historic appearance for the Hong Kong China pair.

The match swung dramatically after the interval of the deciding game. Tang/Tse had built early momentum but Ye’s power and Chan’s sharp work at the net steadily turned the tide. From a mid-game deficit, the world No.15 duo tightened their control of the rallies, forcing errors and seizing the initiative as the match slipped away from their opponents.

“It’s quite unbelievable,” Ye said. “Last year we exited in the first round and we didn’t expect too much this year. We didn’t want to dream very big. We just tried to focus match by match and didn’t really expect we could reach this stage.

“My coach kept shouting ‘be patient and confident’,” Ye added. “I’m not the calmest player on court. Our coach told us to play long rallies and in three-game matches that gives us an advantage.”

Their first final on the HSBC BWF World Tour since pairing up in 2024 will be with Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue, who overturned defending champions Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui 11-21 21-18 21-12 in their semifinal. The French pair, the first doubles finalists from their country, won their only previous meeting at the 2025 World Championships, adding another intriguing layer to Sunday’s showdown.

Asked about the possibility of a historic double for Chinese Taipei with Lin also through to the final, Ye remained measured.

“I didn’t think too much about that,” he said. “I just want to play at my best level, but I’m happy for him and I hope we can continue winning.”

Earlier in the day, Lin defeated second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-14 18-21 21-16 in 78 minutes to reach his first Super 1000 final.

The world No.11 admitted the decisive third game required patience.

“I was down score-wise in the first half of the game and he managed to catch up. I was trying to focus on each single point,” Lin said. “It was mainly cross court shots with a bit of straight lines.”

The 26-year-old also revealed his playful celebration had inspiration from a badminton great.

“Yesterday we talked (to media) about doing a dance after winning. I looked at Lin Dan’s celebration and he had a similar move so I celebrated the same way.”

Lin will face Lakshya Sen, who overcame Victor Lai 21-16 18-21 21-15 in a 97-minute battle. The Indian contests his second All England final after finishing runner-up to Viktor Axelsen in 2022.

“I’m happy to stand on the podium. That’s already a win for me. It’s an honour to play the final.”

→ Results (Semifinals)

→ Order of Play (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“We were expecting to bring the same level as the semifinal. It’s been a long time coming but at the end we played well. We are happy about the level of success.” – Delrue

“This is our first All England final. To reach this stage and play against our big sisters is special. It would be a lie if we said we didn’t have pressure playing them, however we turned this into motivation.” – Tan Ning after she and Liu Sheng Shu defeated compatriots Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian 18-21 21-17 22-20

“I could feel a bit of cramp in my legs. I didn’t know if I could go all the way. I was just trying to fight for every point.” – Sen reveals the difficulties he faced against Lai

“I don’t think my hairstyle change will bring me any luck. The match against An Se Young will be tough but I’m looking forward to it.” – Wang Zhi Yi