An Se-young and Seo-Kim Duo Win Gold at 2026 Korea Open

An Se-young Wins Korea Open

South Korea’s An Se-young defeated Japan’s Yamaguchi Akane 2-1 to win the women’s singles final at the 2026 Badminton World Federation World Tour Korea Open on Nov. 8, chosun.com reported.

The match took place at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu. An secured the championship with set scores of 21-12, 15-21, and 21-16. The victory avenged her runner-up finish against Yamaguchi at the previous year’s tournament.

An Extends Winning Streak to 55 Matches

An extended her winning streak to 55 matches with the victory. She holds a 71-1 record this season and has achieved 11 consecutive wins over a two-year span.

The win marks An’s 11th straight victory against Yamaguchi. Experts say the power gap between genders in badminton prevents female players from defeating male opponents at the world No. 1 level, despite An’s historic dominance.

Doubles Success in Yeosu

Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho claimed the men’s doubles title at the same event. The pair defeated Japan’s Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo 2-1 with scores of 21-12, 20-22, and 21-19.

The victory ended a nine-tournament winless slump in international competitions for the pair. It marked their first title in seven months and restored their standing as the world No. 1 men’s doubles team, chosun.com reported.

Future Partnerships

Seo evaluated An’s potential in mixed doubles following the tournament. “When we were on the same team, we would sometimes play together during breaks,” Seo said, according to chosun.com. “We also play mixed games with female players.

Of course, Se-young is a legend and plays exceptionally well.”

Seo added a prospect for future competition. “In doubles, her strength and control from the front are impressive,” Seo said, chosun.com reported. “If there’s an opportunity later, how about it?”