Ahn Se-young is attempting to become the first female athlete to win her 11th international championship in a single season. Yonhap News
Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) was selected as the ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for three consecutive years. Now we take on the challenge of creating a new history in world badminton.
On the 16th, the BWF said on its official website, “By the time the 2025 season comes to a close, the badminton landscape is likely to be significantly different from the beginning of the season,” and “This year’s BWF World Tour Finals is attracting attention as a stage that will mark the end of an all-time season.” This year’s world tour finals will be held in Hangzhou, China starting on the 17th.
If Ahn Se-young advances to the semifinals in this tournament, he will set the record for the highest win percentage in a single season among players who have played in more than 60 games. This year, Ahn Se-young has won 63 out of 67 matches in 14 international competitions, recording a winning rate of 94%. Looking at the number of games per game, the team won 135 out of 142 games, increasing the win rate to 95.1%.
If Ahn Se-young wins this competition, she will reach the top spot for the 11th time this year. This is the first female player ever to win 11 games in a season. In both men’s and women’s divisions, Kento Momota (Japan) has reached the top of the international competition 11 times in 2019.
Ahn Se-young had already won her third consecutive title as the BWF Female Athlete of the Year the previous day. She was also selected as ‘Female Athlete of the Year Selected by Players’ for the second consecutive year, which was first established last year.
This tournament is a battle of kings with the top eight players in World Tour points competing. In the group stage, where 4 players are divided into groups A and B, the 1st and 2nd place winners from each group advance to the semifinals and play the finals.
Seyoung Ahn is in Group A with Akane Yamaguchi, Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan), and Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia). Seyoung Ahn is ranked 1st, Yamaguchi is 4th, Miyazaki is 9th, and Wardani is 6th. Group B includes China’s Wang Zhiyi (2nd) and Han Yue (3rd), but 5th place Chen Yufei will not play.
Badminton men’s doubles world No. 1 Seungjae Seo (left) and Wonho Kim. Yonhap News
Men’s doubles Seung-jae Seo and Won-ho Kim (Samsung Life Insurance) are also challenging for the most wins in a single season ever. The two have teamed up to win 10 championships, including this year’s World Championships.
However, Seo Seung-jae also reached the top once with Jin-yong (Yonex) and was on par with Momota with 11 wins this season. If Seo Seung-jae wins this competition, he will set a new record for the most wins by an individual in a season.
