Christo Popov wins at home in Paris, An Se-young adds another title, and badminton's switch to 15-point games is now just ten weeks away. Here's what you need to know for October 26 – November 1.
## Tournaments: Popov delivers in Paris
The **French Open** (Super 750) wrapped up on Sunday at its new home, Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France. The podium, per the BWF:
- **Men's singles:** Christo Popov (FRA) beat Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah (INA), giving the home crowd a French champion - **Women's singles:** An Se-young (KOR) beat PV Sindhu (IND) - **Men's doubles:** Man Wei Chong / Tee Kai Wun (MAS) beat compatriots Goh Sze Fei / Nur Izzuddin - **Women's doubles:** Yuki Fukushima / Mayu Matsumoto (JPN) beat Pearly Tan / Thinaah Muralitharan (MAS), who had won the Denmark Open a week earlier - **Mixed doubles:** Feng Yanzhe / Huang Dongping (CHN) beat Hoo Pang Ron / Lai Pei Jing (MAS)
Malaysian players reached three of the five finals, including an all-Malaysian men's doubles final. U.S. men's doubles pair Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith went out in the first round in three games.
**This week:** the **Hylo Open** (Super 500) runs October 27 – November 1 in Saarbrücken, Germany. Next comes the **Korea Open** (Super 500) in Yeosu, November 3–8, and the season ends with the **World Tour Finals** in Hangzhou, China, December 9–13.
## Tournaments: on the U.S. calendar
These events are live on the OutRally calendar:
- **2026 SBC Open** — November 6–8, Seattle Badminton Club - **2026 Yonex Bintang NorCal ORC (Junior)** — November 7–9, Bintang Badminton - **Tiger Cup 2026 Doubles Team Tournament** — November 8, Rego Park, New York - **Fortius Atlanta Badminton Open** — November 20–22, Fortius Sports Academy - **2026 SoCal Closed Regional Championship (Junior)** — November 21–22, SGV Badminton Club, El Monte - **LA Open 2026** (BWF International Series) — December 8–13, SGV Badminton Club - **Yonex USA Adult National Championships** — December 19–22, Peak Sports, Morrisville, North Carolina
News on that last one: USA Badminton released the **Adult Nationals prospectus** on October 22. Entries, withdrawals, eligibility documents and coaching-pass applications are all due **December 3 at 11:59 AM Pacific**, and registration runs through TournamentSoftware. The event also selects athletes for the 2027 Pan Am Mixed Team Competition and the 2027 Sudirman Cup team.
## Learn: 15-point games start January 4
The BWF's new **3×15 scoring system** takes effect on **Monday, January 4, 2027**. Games go to 15 instead of 21, with a 21-point cap. U.S. juniors have already played it: the scores USA Badminton published from the World Junior Championships in Cairo (October 12–17) are 15-point games. We break down every change, and what it means for your local tournament, in this week's Learn article.
## Community: Team USA juniors and a town hall update
USA Badminton sent **19 under-19 athletes** to the World Junior Championships in Cairo. The U.S. finished **10th in the team event**, and several players reached the round of 32 in the individual events, including Rithik Krishna Rasamsetti, who took a game off China's Hong Tian Yue in men's singles.
USA Badminton's **member town hall**, first set for October 15, is still waiting on a new date. The organization says updated Zoom details will go only to people who filled in the RSVP form, so sign up now if you want to ask the board a question about the Chapter 11 reorganization.
## Venues: Orange County Badminton Club
This week's Venue Spotlight heads to **Orange County Badminton Club** in Orange: 12 air-conditioned hardwood courts, no membership and no per-person drop-in fee. You book a court on Skedda for **$42 an hour for up to six players** (a seventh and eighth player add $16 each) and pay at the pro shop. There's racket and shoe rental, stringing, private lessons and a Sunday group program for ages 6–15. Full details are on the venue's OutRally page.
## Gear: thin string or thick?
String is the cheapest upgrade in badminton, and gauge matters as much as tension. Thin strings around 0.65 mm feel livelier; thicker ones around 0.70 mm last longer. Our Gear guide explains how to pick both, with a sensible starting tension if you've only ever played with factory strings.
## Get out and play
Halloween weekend is also the end of daylight saving time: clocks go back an hour early on Sunday, November 1. Double-check your court booking times.
Find every event on the [OutRally calendar](https://outrally.com/events), and download the OutRally app to save events and find people to play with.
## Sources
- BWF, YONEX French Open 2026 podium: https://bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com/tournament/5272/yonex-french-open-2026/results/podium/ - Bernama, French Open first-round report (Oct 21, 2026): https://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2623286 - Sports Digest, French Open 2026 draw and venue: https://sportsdigest.in/?p=226698 - AllSportDB, Hylo Open 2026: https://allsportdb.com/Events/2026-BWF-Badminton-World-Tour-Hylo-Open-18518 - USA Badminton, Adult Nationals prospectus released (Oct 22, 2026): https://usabadminton.org/yonex-usa-adult-national-championships-2026-prospectus-released/ - USA Badminton, USA at the BWF World Junior Championships (Oct 19, 2026): https://usabadminton.org/usa-at-the-bwf-world-junior-championships/ - USA Badminton, Town Hall postponed (Oct 15, 2026): https://usabadminton.org/usa-badminton-town-hall-postponed/ - BWF, Key changes under the 3×15 scoring system: https://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2026/04/26/key-changes-under-the-3x15-scoring-system - Orange County Badminton Club, rules and regulations: https://ocbadmintonclub.com/rules-and-regulations/
