Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance), world number one in badminton women’s singles, will compete in the semifinals of the World Tour Finals. I had the somewhat unusual situation of meeting the same person again within one day.
Se-young Ahn will face this year’s World Championship winner Akane Yamaguchi (3rd place, Japan) in the semifinals of the BWF World Tour Finals held at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China on the 20th (Korean time).
Ahn Se-young and Yamaguchi faced each other in the third match of the group stage of the World Tour Finals on the 19th. Just one day later, the two players met again in the tournament.
The unique matchmaking method was the variable. Ahn Se-young confirmed first place in Group A by defeating Yamaguchi with a game score of 2-1 (14-21 21-5 21-14) in the final third game of Group A on the 19th.
The two players had already confirmed their advancement to the semifinals by winning two games together before the game, but they fought hard to take first place in the group and dominate the tournament baseline. Ahn Se-young struggled in the first game due to the influence of the air conditioner, but regained momentum in the second game when the direction of the court changed and dominated with a score of 21-5, and finished the third game with a score of 21-14 to achieve a come-from-behind victory.
In a regular tournament, the first place in Group A would face the second place in Group B, but the World Tour Finals are different. The first place in Group A can rematch the second place in Group A or meet the second place in Group B for the first time through a draw. As a result of the draw held on the 20th, Ahn Se-young met again with Yamaguchi, whom she had faced only 9 hours ago. The match against Ratchanok Inthanon, ranked second in Group B, was easy based on the opponent’s record and ranking, but the return match was held as a result of the draw.
Yamaguchi is considered a difficult rival to Ahn Se-young. The two players’ record against each other is tight at 16 wins and 15 losses. Ahn Se-young has recorded only 4 losses in 70 international games this season and is maintaining a season-high win rate of 94.4%. Among the four losses, he withdrew from the China Open semifinals due to injury concerns, and only three losses were in actual matches. One of them was the 0-2 loss to Yamaguchi in the finals of this year’s Korea Open.
The pattern of the game has also changed. Both players are all-rounders capable of both offense and defense, but Yamaguchi’s strength is in inducing long rallies with agile movements and solid defense despite his small stature. In the past, long-term matches lasting over an hour were frequent, but as Ahn Se-young attempted an aggressive transition, recent matches have increasingly ended in around 40 minutes. A match is expected between Ahn Se-young’s smashing, which immediately exploits the opponent’s gap, and Yamaguchi, who raises the tempo in response.
When Ahn Se-young wins this competition, she reaches 11 wins in the season, tying the record for most wins in a single season.
From the Malaysia Open to the Australian Open, she participated in 14 tournaments and reached the finals 11 times, reaching the top 10 times, breaking the record for the most wins in a single season in women’s singles. In particular, he showed strong competitiveness against Chinese players and won all 7 games of the season against Wang Ziyi.
The environment for breaking the record is also working in Ahn Se-young’s favor. Chen Yufei, who was considered her biggest rival in her quest for the first 11 women’s singles gold medals, will not participate in this tournament. According to the World Tour Finals regulations, only two players from one country can participate, so Wang Zhiyi and Han Yue from China secured the right to participate. The absence of Chen Yufei, whose opponent record was 14 wins and 14 losses, is evaluated as a factor in easing the burden on Ahn Se-young.
