Ahn Se-young: China's Badminton Dominance & Gender Parity

[사진] BWF

[OSEN=강필주 기자] The Chinese media also clicked their tongues at the shocking declaration that Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance), who has become the standard for world badminton, raised the standard herself.

World No. 1 Ahn Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (25, China) with a set score of 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) in the women’s singles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2025 held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on the 21st.

Ahn Se-young, who won on a court where a fierce battle took place for 96 minutes, won his 11th trophy of the season, matching the all-time record of most wins held by Kento Momota (Japan) in men’s singles in 2019.

Ahn Se-young’s win rate of 94.8% (73 wins in 77 games) this season is also a record. It surpassed the winning percentage of 92.75% (64 wins, 5 losses) held by the badminton world’s ‘Messi’ Lin Dan (China) and ‘Ronaldo’ Lee Chong-wei (Malaysia). The season prize money also exceeded $1 million for the first time.

According to China’s Sina Sports, Ahn Se-young said after the game, “Everyone is studying me, so I won’t have any more easy games to win,” and added, “But I have to always prepare to continue to improve.”

However, Ahn Se-young said, “Every time I watch a men’s singles match, I am amazed, ‘How can they hit such a wonderful ball?'” and also expressed an unconventional ambition, saying, “I want to have the skills and abilities of a male player.”

Then the Chinese media reacted. China’s ‘Beijing Youth News’ praised Ahn Se-young on the 23rd, saying, “He is a genius among geniuses who defeated Olympic champions Carolina Marin (Spain) and Dai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) upon his debut.”

At the same time, the media highly praised Ahn Se-young’s efforts to overcome her limitations by studying videos of men’s singles stars such as Shi Xiu-chi (China) and Kento Momota.

“Ahn Se-young has once again raised the bar. Even with 11 wins and a 94.8% win rate in a single season, he did not stop,” he said, adding, “Ahn Se-young did not stop. He pushed his own limits based on ‘male athlete standards’” and admired him.

Concerns were also added. He pointed out that Ahn Se-young will grow technically, but she must also focus on taking care of her body to continue her career. Even in the final against Wang Zhiyi, Ahn Se-young won the championship while suffering from leg cramps, she was worried that fatigue and injuries could accumulate. /letmeout@osen.co.kr