Ahn Se-young: Badminton Star Wins Despite 10-Point Streak

‘The best in the world of badminton’ Se-young Ahn (No. 1 in the world rankings) got off to an uneasy start in the first match of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2025 (King of Kings), where she is challenging the record for the most wins in a single season.

Ahn Se-young defeated Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia, 7th place) 2-1 (21-16 8-21 21-8) in the first match of Group A of the King of Kings Women’s Singles Group Stage held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on the 17th.

In this tournament, where the world’s top 8 players participate, Ahn Se-young was in Group A along with Wardani, Akane Yamaguchi (4th), and Tomoka Miyazaki (9th, Japan).

Ahn Se-young showed a somewhat ups and downs against Wardani in the first game and stumbled, but was able to take a breather with the result. If they secure second place in their group, they can advance to the semifinals.

To date, Ahn Se-young has won 10 games this season. If he wins the trophy by this tournament, he will tie the record for most wins in a single season set by Kento Momota (Japan), who won 11 wins in men’s singles in 2019. It is also the first record in women’s singles.

In the first game, Ahn Se-young continued to exchange with Wardani. In a close game of 16-16, Ahn Se-young succeeded in taking the lead by scoring 5 points in a row.

However, in the second game, the flow was handed over to Wardani from the beginning. They struggled, allowing as many as 10 points while trailing 5-6. Ahn Se-young ended up only scoring 3 more points, defeating his pride with a score of 8-21.

In the next three games, Ahn Se-young repaid Wardani well. We took the lead from the beginning. They showed dominance by taking a 6-0 lead. Ahn Se-young continued the offensive and ended the game with a score of 21-8.

Ahn Se-young, who earned her first win, faces Miyazaki as her second opponent on the morning of the 18th.

[김영훈 MK스포츠 기자]

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