“I am satisfied with the record for most wins and highest win rate…I want to keep breaking it.”
“We haven’t reached our prime yet… We have to play a perfect game.”
Ahn Se-young met with reporters after returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 22nd and said, “I originally thought I played the best match at the All England Open, but after finishing the World Tour Finals (King of Kings), I remember this tournament, the last of the year, the most. I really did my best until the last match.”
World No. 1 Ahn Se-young won the championship by defeating world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-0 (21-15 21-12) in the women’s singles semifinals of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held in Hangzhou, China, and world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (China) 2-1 (21-13 18-21 21-10) in the final. I won it.
Seyoung Ahn said, “I am very happy and grateful that I was able to finish the last competition of the year with a good result. I was not very satisfied with my performance, but I came back with a relaxed mind now that the last competition of the year was over.”
Ahn Se-young, who participated in 15 tournaments before the World Tour Finals, reached the top at the All England Open, Malaysia Open, Indonesia Open (Super 1000), India Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open (Super 750), Australian Open (Super 500), and Orleans Masters (Super 300).
Se-young Ahn recorded her 11th win of the year by dominating the King of Kings Tournament, where the world’s best players compete for the championship, marking the end of the season in style. He also won his second King of Kings championship medal in four years.
With this win, Ahn Se-young rewrote badminton history. He tied the record for most wins in a single season (11 wins) set by Japanese men’s singles player Kento Momota in 2019.
Ahn Se-young recorded an overwhelming performance of 73 wins (4 losses) in 77 games this season, setting the highest win rate in a single season at 94.8%.
In addition, he added $240,000 (approximately 336 million won) in winning prize money, making him the first player to exceed $1 million in cumulative prize money in a single season with a cumulative prize money of $1,003,175 (approximately 1,486 million won) this year.
Ahn Se-young smiled and said, “I am most satisfied with the records for the most wins and the highest win percentage. It is even better because it is the result of my efforts. I want to continue to break these records in the future,” and added, “Now that it is the end of the year, I plan to give gifts to those who are grateful with the prize money.”
Regarding this, Ahn Se-young said, “The condition of my legs is okay. I ran a lot and my muscles have built up,” and reflected, “It was a competition with high-ranking players, so each game was very difficult. I did my best and was very tired.”
Ahn Se-young was unable to compete for two months last year due to knee and ankle injuries.
Ahn Se-young, who paid special attention to health care this year, said, “I tried to reduce the risk of injury as much as possible by taking good care of my body throughout the year. I also managed my diet a lot. Since it is the end of the year, I plan to eat comfortably and take a short break. And I will prepare again for next year.”
After a short break, Ahn Se-young will set out to conquer the women’s badminton singles again, starting with the Malaysia Open in January next year. Attention is being paid to whether he will write a new history by surpassing 11 wins this season.
He said, “If I always do my best like I always do, good results will be waiting for me. If I keep trying and do my best, better results will come out. I can only say I am in my prime when I play a perfect game. It hasn’t arrived yet.”
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