Korea Badminton: Golden Age & 11 Title Bid | BWF Spotlight

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[OSEN=고성환 기자] It is literally the golden age of Korean badminton. ‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance) and Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae (Samsung Life Insurance), who dominate the men’s doubles, are simultaneously challenging a new history.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on its official website on the 11th (Korean time), “History is beckoning to Korea. It is not often that the last tournament of the season provides an opportunity to open a new chapter in history in two categories. However, such a thing could happen at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025.”

The main characters who challenge history are Ahn Se-young, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. Representing Korean badminton women’s singles and men’s doubles, respectively, they each achieved 10 wins this season. Now, if he reaches the top at the World Tour Finals, the last competition of the year, he will achieve his dream of winning 11 crowns.

BWF said, “Ahn Se-young and Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae are on the verge of a unique achievement. If Ahn Se-young wins his 11th title in 2025, he will be on par with Japan’s Kento Momota (retired), the singles player with the most wins in a single season. Similarly, if Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae achieve their 11th win, they will become the doubles team with the most wins in a single season.”

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The team of Ahn Se-young, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae are conquering the world of badminton. First, starting with the Malaysia Open this season, Ahn Se-young achieved a whopping 10 crowns by winning sequentially at the India Open, Orleans Masters, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open, and Australian Open.

This is a new history in the women’s badminton singles world. Ahn Se-young broke the record for most wins in a single season (9 wins) that he set in 2023. The season record is a whopping 68 wins and 4 losses, with a win rate of 94.4%.

Now there is only one thing left: the World Tour Finals. If Ahn Se-young wins here as well, her dream of winning 11 gold medals after defeating Wang Ziyi in the Malaysia Open final in January could become a reality. It is also the first time the team has reached the summit in four years since winning the 2021 competition. Ahn Se-young was eliminated in the group stage with 1 win and 2 losses in 2022, and was eliminated in the semifinals in 2023 and 2024 by losing to Tai Tzu-ying and Wang Zhiyi, respectively.

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Nevertheless, the number one candidate for the championship is definitely Ahn Se-young. BWF pointed out, “Ahn Se-young is at the peak of history, approaching Kento Momota’s all-time singles record of winning 11 titles in one season. He is being mentioned as an overwhelming candidate to win the World Tour Finals.” It is also good news that Ahn Se-young’s biggest rival, Chen Yu-fei (China), is unable to participate due to a ‘cut-off’.

Of course, you cannot let your guard down. Ahn Se-young has consistently maintained her top spot, but is in the position of a challenger at the World Tour Finals. As this is a competition where the best players face each other, small variables can determine their fate.

The opponent to be most careful with is Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), ranked 3rd in the world. BWF pointed out, “Ahn Se-young’s biggest competitor is expected to be Yamaguchi, who won this year’s World Championships. Another competitor is ‘defending champion’ Wang Zhiyi (China, world No. 2). He has advanced to the finals 10 times this season and won three times. It would be surprising if one of these three does not become champion.”

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Another pride of Korean badminton, the team of Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae achieved 10 wins faster than Ahn Se-young this season. The two, who reunited for the first time in 7 years last January, have won all of them, starting with the Malaysia Open, German Open, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, World Championships, China Masters, Korea Open, French Open, and Japan Open.

This is a tie for the most wins in a single season in doubles. Since the start of the BWF’s current World Tour system in 2018, the only duo to achieve 10 doubles wins in a year (men’s, women’s, and mixed) is China’s Zheng Siwei-Huang Yachong (2022). Going back even further, it is tied with the legendary Li Yongbo-Tian Bingyi’s men’s doubles championship record of 1988.

If we narrow it down to men’s doubles, it is a record that has been around for 37 years. Last month, BWF emphasized, “Won-ho Kim and Seung-jae Seo bravely crossed the threshold of history under the lights of the Kumamoto Association Gymnasium. They won their 10th championship of the season. This is an achievement that goes beyond lifting a trophy. They engraved their names in badminton history.”

Now, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae are determined to make 2025 a memorable year by winning the World Tour Finals. BWF highlighted the two as strong contenders for the championship, saying, “Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who share the same nationality as Ahn Se-young, also heated up the court with an amazing winning streak. They participated in 16 competitions and collected 10 trophies. The two boasted overwhelming power and dominated the men’s doubles, where the competition was the most intense last season.”

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Seonghwan Go