Disappointing Day for Men’s Singles Players in Sofia

1st October 2026 by Robert McLean

It was a disappointing day for our men’s singles players at the YONEX Bulgarian International Championships, with both Finlay Jack and Benedict Tan unable to navigate their way through qualifying in Sofia.

For Benedict Tan, the tournament marked his first international appearance since the 2025 Welsh International, but the Finnish player Elmeri Lybeck proved too strong on the day. Lybeck took control of the contest early on and progressed in straight games, winning 21-10, 21-12.

Finlay Jack was involved in a much closer encounter against Portuguese teenager Alexandre Bernardo, with the rankings suggesting little to separate the two players.

Finlay made an excellent start to the contest, producing some impressive badminton to take the opening game 21-16. Bernardo responded strongly, however, and managed to turn the match around, taking the second game 21-15 before completing the comeback with a 21-10 victory in the decider.

While neither player was able to make it through qualifying, both Benedict and Finlay can take positives from their performances. There were certainly encouraging passages of play from both players, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to secure a place in the main draw.

Attention now turns to tomorrow, when Matthew Waring and James Robertson begin their campaigns in the main draw.

Matthew faces a rematch with home favourite Dimitar Yanakiev, while James will take on Portuguese world number 659 David Silva, who came through today’s qualifying rounds.

With a place in the last 16 on the line for both Matthew and James, tomorrow promises to be another action-packed day in the Bulgarian capital.