From 1 p.m. to around 10 p.m., the round of 16 will be played on four courts at the YONEX German Open. The last German representative in the competition is German champion Matthias Kicklitz, who will face Weng Hong Yang (CHN) in the “Match of the Day.” Matthias became German champion in the men’s singles for the third time on February 1, 2026, in Cloppenburg, following victories in 2023 and 2024. Weng Hong Yang won two World Tour tournaments last year, the China Masters and the Swiss Open.
„Match of the Day“
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Presented by
Men’s Singles, TV-Court 1, 16.00
Matthias Kicklitz (GER, WR 83, Prize Money 3.075 USD, 23 years)
gegen Weng Hong Yang (CHN, WR 16, Prize Money 488.414 USD, 26 years)
Other highlights of the day in the round of 16
All times are estimates and depend on the duration of the preceding matches. Changes to the schedule are also possible towards the end of the day.
Order of play, draws and results: Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Matches of the top seeds
Women’s singles, TV Court 1, 3:30 p.m.
Wang Zhi Yi (CHN, seed 1, WR 2, prize money $1,264,829, age 25)
vs. Amalie Schulz (DEN, WR 50, prize money $25,957, age 24)
Wang Zhi Yi plays in a discipline in which the world number one An Se Young is currently sweeping the board, leaving Wang to settle for second place again in India in January. In 2025, Wang won in Hong Kong, at the Malaysia Masters and the China Open. Wang reached the finals at the World Tour Finals, the All England and French Open, as well as in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Denmark. Amalie won the Austrian Open in Graz in 2025, came second in Czechia and achieved third place in Scotland, Ireland and Canada.
Men’s Singles, TV Court 1, 1:50 p.m.
Christo Popov (FRA, seed 1, WR 5, prize money $536,159, age 23)
vs. Jason Gunawan (HKG, WR 40, prize money $43,901, age 21)
Christo and Jason have played each other twice on the World Tour so far, with each winning once. Christo is currently enjoying a string of successes – on December 21, he became the first Frenchman to win the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals. In Hangzhou, China, Christo defeated Shi Yu Qi (CHN) 21-19, 21-9 in the final. Runner-up at the French and Swiss Opens, third at the European Championships, China Masters, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong – 2025 was a great year for Christo. And replacing Denmark as European champion with Team France was also a sensational start to the European tournaments in spring 2026. Jason is the underdog in this match, but he did win the India International in Lucknow in 2025 and reached the quarterfinals at the YONEX German Open 2025.
Men’s Singles, TV Court 1, 1:50 p.m.
Christo Popov (FRA, seed 1, WR 5, prize money $536,159, age 23)
vs. Jason Gunawan (HKG, WR 40, prize money $43,901, age 21)
Christo and Jason have played each other twice on the World Tour so far, with each winning once. Christo is currently enjoying a string of successes – on December 21, he became the first Frenchman to win the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals. In Hangzhou, China, Christo defeated Shi Yu Qi (CHN) 21-19, 21-9 in the final. Runner-up at the French and Swiss Opens, third at the European Championships, China Masters, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong – 2025 was a great year for Christo. And replacing Denmark as European champion with Team France was also a sensational start to the European tournaments in spring 2026. Jason is the underdog in this match, but he did win the India International in Lucknow in 2025 and reached the quarterfinals at the YONEX German Open 2025.
Women’s Doubles, TV Court 1, 5:40 p.m.
Gabriela and Stefanie Stoeva (BUL, seed 1, WR 10, prize money USD 223,319, ages 31/30)
vs. Kirsten de Wit/Meerte Loos (NED, WR 86, prize money USD 200, ages 21/20)
The Stoeva sisters caused a sensation with the Bulgarian national team on February 15 when they became European team champions in Istanbul against favorites Denmark. In 2025, they racked up tournament victories with wins at the Odisha Masters in India, the Turkiye International in Istanbul, the Al Ain Masters in the Emirates, the Belgian International in Leuven/Belgium, the Italy Open in Bolzano, the Iran International and, above all, the European Championship title in women’s doubles. For Kirsten and Meerte, victory at the Iceland International is on their list of successes for 2025.
More interesting matches on Thursday
A total of 40 matches will be played on four courts for fans at the Westenergie Sports Hall. The following two matches are therefore just two of the many opportunities to enjoy world-class badminton. The complete schedule and all results are available from the Badminton World Federation (BWF), where further information on all players can also be found.
Women’s singles, Court 4, 1:00 p.m.
Beiwen Zhang (USA, WR 21, 35 years old)
vs. Line Christophersen (DEN, WR 24, 26 years old)
Update: Beiwen Zhang withdraws due to injury, Walkover for Line Christophersen
Men’s Doubles, TV Court 1, 6:30 p.m.
Christo and Toma Junior Popov (FRA, WR 22, prize money USD 59,474, ages 23/27)
vs. Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (CHN, seed 2, WR 3, prize money $567,704, ages 25/24)
The Popov brothers have yet to win a match against the Chinese duo in three attempts. Only a few singles players are currently still active in doubles, but Christo and Toma Junior are also successful in this discipline. In 2025, they became European champions in doubles and finished second at the YONEX German Open. Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang already won the India Open in 2026. In 2025, they won in Hong Kong and finished second at the World Tour Finals.
Photo: Matthias Kicklitz © Sven Heise
Text: Sven Heise