An Se-young Defeats Yamaguchi
World No. 1 badminton player An Se-young secured a 2-1 victory over Japan’s Yamaguchi Akane at the 2026 BWF World Tour Korea Open, starnewskorea.com reported.
The match lasted one hour and two minutes at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.
The triumph extended An’s winning streak against Yamaguchi to 11 matches. It also widened their head-to-head record to 25 wins and 15 losses.
Korea Open Victory
An claimed the Korea Open title for the third time in her career. She previously won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
The victory served as revenge for an earlier 0-2 loss to Yamaguchi caused by physical fatigue at a previous final. The scorelines in Yeosu finished 21-12, 15-21, and 21-16.
Global Media Praise
Foreign media outlets highlighted An’s achievement of recording 11 titles in a single season for two consecutive years. Chinese media outlet Sohu.com reported that An made Yamaguchi cry again, noting that Yamaguchi repeatedly reaches finals only to collide with a massive wall.
Japanese media, including the Asahi Shimbun, acknowledged the insurmountable gap between the competitors. Local fans writing on Yahoo Japan via Badminton Spirit stated that women’s singles has become An’s complete solo stage.
Sohu.com praised An’s absolute dominance and mental maturity. An stated in a post-match interview reported by starnewskorea.com, I am proud of myself for achieving good results this year as well, following last year. I have grown a lot mentally compared to last year. It is inevitable to get tired while playing matches, but I learned how to manage burnout and found many ways to cope.
Historic Season Records
An has maintained a 55-match winning streak since the All England Open in March of the previous year. She holds a record of 71 wins and 1 loss across 72 matches this season.
She has won six consecutive tournaments starting from the World Championships in August. She became the first player in history to achieve Momo Takahashi Kento (Japan)’s single-season record of most titles (11 wins) for two consecutive years, a record set in 2019.
Hangzhou World Tour Finals
An will compete for a historic first single-season record of 12 titles at the BWF World Tour Finals. The tournament takes place in early next month in Hangzhou, China.
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