Both players went into the match with plenty of confidence as Gemke reached the quarter-final of the Denmark Open last week where he lost after a three-set battle against Canada's Victor Lai while Popov lost in the semi-final against Dane Anders Antonsen.
The Frenchman roared on by a passionate home crowd in Paris dominated most of the opening stages of the match and when he built a 17-11 lead, the set was virtually decided even though Gemke began to settle into his stride towards the end of the set.
Popov eventually took the first set 21-18 but Gemke immediately seized the initiative from the start of the second set where he built a 16-8 gap which later turned turned into an 18-10 lead. And Gemke never allowed the Frenchman back into the set as he forced a third set decider by winning 21-15.
The third set turned into a thriller as both players had their share of the momentum. But at 10-10 Popov won six successive points which proved decisive. The match ended in controversial manner as Popov was handed a yellow card for strong protests against a linesman's decision at 19-17. But the Frenchman managed to keep a cool head in the end and won the decider 21-18.