Ahn Se-young: World Tour Finals Record Bid

[OSEN=정승우 기자] Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance), who has lost only four times in 2025, finally stands on the final stage of the season. There is only one goal: to win the 11th championship. Having already written a new chapter in women’s singles history, she is ready to create another scene at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals.

Ahn Se-young’s actions this season are unrealistic. Starting with the Malaysia Open, he won 10 tournaments, including India, Orleans, All England, Indonesia, Japan, China Masters, Denmark, France, and Australian Open. He broke the record for the most wins (9 wins) in a single season that he set last year, and his season record was 68 wins and 4 losses, with a win rate of 94.4%, a ‘record’ figure.

China’s ‘Sohu’ commented, “Ahn Se-young easily broke down the wall that even Lin Dan and Lee Chong-wei could not overcome.” If we recall the past trend where the single-season top-ranking win rate for both men and women was in the low 90% range, Ahn Se-young’s figures are a record that goes beyond ‘generational change’ and changes the ‘paradigm of the sport’.

Now all that remains is the World Tour Finals. This is the final stage where only the eight best performers of the year will stand. The participating players are Wang Ziyi and Han Yue (China), Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan), Pompawi Chochuong and Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand), Putri Wardani (Indonesia), and Seyoung Ahn.
If he reaches the top here, he will be on par with Kento Momota (2019, 11 wins) in men’s singles.

However, surprisingly, this stage was not the ‘promised land’ for Ahn Se-young. After winning in 2021, he fell away from the top three times in a row. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2022, lost to Tai Tzu-ying in 2023, and were stopped in the semifinals by Wang Zhiyi last year.

Nevertheless, the world’s attention was focused on Ahn Se-young. BWF pointed him out as the clearest candidate for the championship, saying, “He is a player heading towards the record for the most titles in singles history.” Moreover, the absence of Chen Yufei (China) is a big positive news. Due to the rule of a maximum of two people per country, they were eliminated through cutoff, behind Wang Ziyi and Han Yue. Chen Yufei is Ahn Se-young’s only ‘natural enemy’ who suffered two of her four losses this year.

Taiwan’s ‘Thai Sounds’ also predicted, “With the most threatening player missing, Ahn Se-young’s chances of winning have greatly increased.” With Tai Tzu-ying’s retirement, the competition for the championship became simpler.

Of course, variables remain. The player to be most wary of is Akane Yamaguchi. BWF is the only ‘realistic rival’ named first. Yamaguchi defeated Ahn Se-young in the finals of this year’s Korea Open. He is the only player to have suffered a final loss to Ahn Se-young this season.

Wang Ziyi also cannot be ignored. Their consistency stands out, with 10 finals and 3 wins this season. Above all, I have the experience of beating Ahn Se-young in the final semifinals last year.

The World Tour Finals always feature many ‘variables’ as the players with the best trends of the year gather together. However, looking at the current flow and structure, and above all, looking at the overwhelming performance that Ahn Se-young has accumulated, the protagonist of this competition does not seem to have changed much. /reccos23@osen.co.kr