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[AFP=연합뉴스]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Myeong-eon = Badminton’s ‘strongest’ Se-young Ahn, who is challenging the record for the most wins in a single season, had an uneasy start to the first edition of the World Tour Finals, the last stage of the year.
Ahn Se-young defeated Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani (world No. 7) 2-1 (21-16 8-21 21-8) in the first match of Group A of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2025 Women’s Singles Group Stage held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on the 17th.
Seyoung Ahn showed somewhat ups and downs in her performance.
In the first game, the score was tied 16-16 at the end of a seesaw game, and they won 5 points in a row to take the lead 21-16.
However, in the second game, they gave up the momentum from the beginning and struggled throughout the game.
Ahn Se-young, who was ahead 3-1 in the second game, gave up 5 consecutive points to fall to 3-6, and then gave up 10 points in a row at 5-6, losing 8-21.
But game 3 was different. Ahn Se-young, who regained her concentration, tied down her opponent with tenacious defense and swept 6 points from the beginning with a quick attack, widening the score gap to 6-0 and 12-1, and completed the victory by stably maintaining the lead.
Ahn Se-young, who has already won 10 championship trophies this season, will tie the record for most wins in a single season if she wins this competition as well.
He will stand shoulder to shoulder with Japanese men’s singles player Kento Momota, who recorded 11 wins in 2019.
In addition, even if they only advance to the semifinals, the highest single-season winning percentage among players who have played in more than 60 games is rewritten.
Ahn Se-young played 68 games in 15 competitions this season, including the World Tour Finals, and won 64 of them, recording a winning rate of 94.1%.
The BWF World Tour Finals is like the ‘King of Kings’ in the badminton world where the best players of the year gather to compete to compete, and only the top 8 players and groups with the combined annual World Tour points in each event can participate.
Players are divided into groups A and B of four each and compete in the group stage, and the top two players from each group advance to the semifinals to determine the winner.
Ahn Se-young, who holds the overwhelming No. 1 spot in the women’s singles world rankings, competes in Group A with Wardani, Akane Yamaguchi, and Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan).
Ahn Se-young will face Miyazaki in the second match, which will be held on the morning of the 18th.
coup@yna.co.kr
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Sent at 11:53 on December 17, 2025
