An Se-young Dominates at All England Open, Eyes Historic Back-to-Back Titles

South Korea’s An Se-young, the world No. 1 in women’s singles badminton, has advanced to the final of the 2026 All England Open, defeating her longtime rival Chen Yufei of China 2-1 (20-22, 21-9, 21-12) in the semifinals on Friday at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England. MSN, Sedaily

Comeback Victory Over Chen Yufei

The match against Chen Yufei, ranked No. 3 in the world, was a grueling contest. An Se-young lost the first game in a deuce, but rallied to dominate the second and third games, securing her place in the final. This victory improves An’s head-to-head record against Chen to 15 wins and 14 losses. Sedaily

After dropping the first game 20-22, An Se-young seized momentum in the second, scoring seven consecutive points from an 8-9 deficit. In the decisive third game, she never allowed Chen to regain control, winning 21-12. The entire match lasted 73 minutes. Sedaily

Pursuing History and Extending Winning Streak

An Se-young is now aiming to become the first Korean singles player—male or female—to win back-to-back championships at the All England Open. While Korean doubles teams have achieved this feat, no Korean singles player has ever defended the crown. Sedaily

This semifinal win extends An Se-young’s international winning streak to 36 matches, remaining undefeated since the Denmark Open in October 2025. Sedaily

Final Showdown with Wang Zhiyi

In the final, An Se-young will face China’s Wang Zhiyi, ranked No. 2. An holds a dominant 18-4 career record against Wang. Sedaily

Korean Success Extends to Doubles

Adding to Korea’s success at the tournament, the world No. 4 women’s doubles pair of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee as well advanced to the finals, defeating Malaysia’s Tan Pearly and Thinaah Muralitharan 2-0 (21-17, 21-18). Sedaily

the men’s doubles team of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life Insurance) reached the finals, defeating Indonesia’s Raymond Indra and Nicolaus Joaquin 2-0 (21-19, 21-13). Sedaily