[OSEN=우충원 기자] Ahn Se-young, who has established a solo system by winning as many as 11 competitions in 2025, still has one wall left that she cannot overcome. It’s the Asian Championships. Although I reached the top of the Olympics, World Championships, and Asian Games, I had no connection with this competition.
Despite being evaluated as the best player in badminton history, Ahn Se-young has not yet completed a complete Grand Slam. The final piece is the Asian Championships. He set himself a Grand Slam goal immediately after winning the 2023 World Championships, but the reality was not easy.
At the 2023 Asian Championships, she failed to overcome Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, and in the following year’s tournament, she was stopped by China’s He Bingjiao in the quarterfinals. In particular, last year’s defeat remains a scene that is not easily forgotten. At the time, Ahn Se-young lost with a game score of 0-2, but the content was much more intense than the result. Even though they trailed by 17-17 in the first game, they gave up the momentum by allowing consecutive goals, and were unable to overcome the gap that had widened due to consecutive goals in the second game.
This year, I didn’t even get a chance for another reason. Due to a thigh injury that had persisted since the beginning of the season, participation in the Asian Championships was cancelled. Ironically, while the tournament was not held, Ahn Se-young swept 11 tournaments, including the World Tour Finals, setting a record for the most wins in a single season in women’s singles. It was an overwhelming year, but the Asian Championships still remained empty.
Now time comes back again. The Asian Championships to be held in Ningbo, China in April next year is another decisive opportunity for Ahn Se-young. If she reaches the top of this competition, she will become the second women’s singles player to achieve a Grand Slam after Carolina Marin.
Ahn Se-young, who recently defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi in the World Tour Finals and lifted the championship trophy, did not hide her will to move toward a higher goal after completing the tournament. The Asian Championships are clearly at the end of that statement.
2026 is expected to be a year with many meanings for Ahn Se-young. The schedule is closely packed with the Asian Championships, the Asian Games held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, and the challenge of winning all titles at the Super 1000 competition. He has already achieved most of what he could, but there are trophies he has yet to obtain, so there is no reason for his motivation to lapse.
A story that is not complete even with 11 wins. For Ahn Se-young, the Asian Championships are not just a competition, but the final threshold that must be crossed to completely prove that she has come of age. / [email protected]
