Gillian Clarke (64), a former world-class badminton player and famous commentator, praised the historic challenge of Ahn Se-young (23) and the team of Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae (Samsung Life Insurance).
‘Women’s singles world number one’ Se-young Ahn and ‘men’s doubles world number one’ Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae will participate in the HSBC Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2025 to be held in Hangzhou, China from the 17th of this month (hereinafter Korean time). The competition will be held from the 17th to the 21st.
Together, they are looking at 11 wins in a single season. Ahn Se-young won 10 BWF international competitions this season and ranked first in the world tour. Starting with the Malaysia Open, he won the India Open, Orleans Masters, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open, and Australian Open, achieving a whopping 10 crowns.
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.
Korean badminton is attempting to win its 11th championship in a single season in two sports. BWF said, “History is beckoning for Korea. It is not often that the final tournament of a season offers the opportunity to open a new chapter in history in two categories. But that could happen at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025.”
In addition, 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. Likewise, 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.”
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 you narrow it down to men’s doubles, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae’s 10 wins in a season is a record for the first time in 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.”
It is attracting a lot of attention as it is an overwhelming solo performance that is difficult to find even throughout the history of badminton around the world. Clark, who transformed into an authoritative commentator after retirement, also did not hide his expectations. He said on his social media, “There is nothing more thrilling than seeing humanity’s achievements expand. It’s amazing to explore humanity’s efforts to push boundaries, set new records, or reach places no one has gone before. Conquering Everest, landing on the moon, breaking the 4-minute mile, it’s all amazing.”
Clark then said that he personally watched ‘swimming legend’ Michael Phelps and ‘track and field legend’ Usain Bolt write new history, and brought up the names of Ahn Se-young, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. He said, “There is a special charm in watching people achieve what was thought to be impossible,” and added, “Three Korean players are considered strong candidates for the World Tour Finals 2025, and they all have the opportunity to set historical records.”
Clark said, “Ahn Se-young can break her own record and achieve her 11th women’s singles win, equaling Kento Momota’s record. The pair of Won-ho Kim and Seo Seung-jae have already tied the men’s doubles record of 10 wins set by Lee Yong-bo and Tian Bing-yi and are looking to surpass that record in Hangzhou. In particular, Seo Seung-jae could win a 12th medal as she also won the Thailand Masters with Jin Yong.” explained.
Lastly, he emphasized, “This opportunity to decorate a page of history will bring tremendous pressure and exhilaration to the players at the same time. In addition, the year-end finals will be an even more exciting game due to the intense interest and anticipation of fans who want to witness a historic moment.”
Meanwhile, BWF held the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025 group draw on the 13th (Korean time). Ahn Se-young, who received the top seed, was assigned to women’s singles Group A along with world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan), and Putri Wardani (Indonesia). Group B included world number two Wang Ziyi and Han Yue (China), and Pornpawi Chochuwong and Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand).
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae were placed in Group A along with Man Wei-chong and Thi Kai Aun (Malaysia), Savar Kariaman Gutama and Moreza Pahlavi Isfahani (Indonesia), and Chiu Xiang-chie and Wang Chi-lin (Taiwan). On the other side, Group B was assigned Erencia-Souik (Malaysia), Fazar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (Indonesia), Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (China), and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (India).
/finekosh@osen.co.kr
[사진] Korean Badminton Association, BWF social media.
