Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance) is writing a new legend beyond the legends of the past. Praise poured in from China, the strongest badminton country.
China’s NetEase reported on the 26th (Korean time), “Ahn Se-young set a new badminton record with 73 wins and 4 losses in the season. He surpassed Lin Dan and Lee Chong-wei and set the highest record ever.”
The media highlighted the record set by Ahn Se-young this year, saying, “In the badminton world, Lin Dan’s 64 wins and 5 losses (92.7% winning rate) in 2011 and Lee Chong Wei’s 64 wins and 5 losses in 2010 have long remained unbreakable legends in the hearts of fans and have long been considered an insurmountable wall. However, legends are bound to be broken someday.”
NetEase said, “Ahn Se-young, a 23-year-old Korean player in 2025, has broken down the wall with an astonishing record of 73 wins and 4 losses with a 94.8% winning rate. He has redefined the standard for the best badminton player. While we are still nostalgic for the ‘Lin Dan-Lee Chong-wei rivalry’ and regard past legends as myths, Ahn Se-young has already brought a new answer to the badminton world with the victories he has achieved over the past year. “It was presented,” he exclaimed.
This is Ahn Se-young, who had a year that will be remembered in history. Starting with the Malaysia Open this year, he won 10 crowns by winning the India Open, Orleans Masters, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open, and Australian Open. This was an achievement that surpassed the record of most wins (9 wins) in a single season in women’s singles, which she set in 2023.
It didn’t end here. Ahn Se-young defeated Wang Ziyi (China) with a game score of 2-1 (21-13 18-21 21-10) in the women’s singles final of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held in Hangzhou, China on the 21st and rose to the top. It was a bloody battle that took a total of 1 hour and 36 minutes. Ahn Se-young also suffered from cramps in her left thigh just before the match point, but showed her fighting spirit and won the game, achieving her 11th win of the season.
As a result, Ahn Se-young rose to the top in the last competition in 2025, catching up with the record for most wins (11 wins) set by legendary Japanese men’s singles player Kento Momota in 2019. He was eliminated in the semifinals at last year’s World Tour Finals after losing to Wang Zhiyi, but this time he avenged that loss in the finals and regained the throne for the first time in four years.
Ahn Se-young’s 11th win of the season is not the only record. He won the prize money of $240,000 (about 344 million won) by winning the singles title at the World Tour Finals. Thanks to this, he opened a new horizon in the badminton world by surpassing $1 million (about 1.445 billion won) in prize money in a single season for the first time in history. The gap with second place Wang Ziyi (China), who earned prize money of $625,465 (about 900 million won), is also enormous.
A monstrous win rate record was also created. Ahn Se-young’s win rate of 94.80% in a total of 77 games is overwhelmingly first among players who have played more than 60 games. This figure is higher than the records left by Chinese legends such as Lin Dan and Li Chongwei, who are called the ‘Messi and Ronaldo’ of badminton.
This is why Ahn Se-young’s achievements are receiving more attention in China. NetEase said, “Ahn Se-young’s amazing performance is not temporary glory, but an inevitable result of a changing era. It is not a simple match of victory or defeat, but a re-creation of history,” and added, “The 2.1% increase in winning rate may seem small, but it should also reflect the dramatic change in the badminton competitive environment.”
The media then added, “The frequency of tournaments has become much higher, and the competition between top players has become more intense. Recording only 4 losses out of 77 matches is a surprisingly consistent performance,” and added, “These 73 wins are not simply a one-sided victory against a weak opponent, but a victory obtained through a fierce fight with excellent skills. He is predicted to achieve the Grand Slam by winning a total of 14 top-tier titles.”
NetEase emphasized, “Ahn Se-young’s 2025 was a series of complete domination. After winning his first win at the Malaysia Open in January, he recorded 18 consecutive wins before losing to Chen Yu-fei in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open.”
There was no stopping the praise for Ahn Se-young. There were even claims that he was evolving women’s singles. NetEase said, “What’s more important is that Ahn Se-young is rewriting the technical standards of women’s singles. Nicknamed the ‘all-round warrior,’ she uses a variety of techniques and is breaking the traditional pattern of women’s singles that is focused on only one technique.”
In addition, the media said, “Ahn Se-young has publicly expressed her desire to have exciting and long rallies like male players. This desire is leading the women’s singles in a richer and more interesting direction,” and added, “Ahn Se-young is creating a new history in badminton with each victory in each event. Following the classic ‘Lin Dan-Lee Chong-wei’ era, witnessing the Ahn Se-young era is a special experience in itself.”
Meanwhile, Ahn Se-young had a perfect year, but she is hitting the court again without a break. He returned to Korea via Incheon Airport on the 22nd, ending a season in which he ran tirelessly, but is scheduled to leave Korea again on the 31st and board a plane.
According to the ‘Top Committed’ regulations, Ahn Se-young must start the 2026 schedule with the Malaysia Open (Super 1000), which starts on January 6 next year, and then move to New Delhi, India to participate in the India Open (Super 750). The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are also waiting for him in September next year. Ahn Se-young is also the women’s singles ‘defending champion’ who won the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
/finekosh@osen.co.kr
[사진] Korean Badminton Association, BWF social media.
