Ahn Se-young: Badminton’s Unstoppable Force & China’s Admiration

[OSEN=강필주 기자] As Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) once again dominates the world of badminton, China is also in awe.

World No. 1 Ahn Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (26, China) with a set score of 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour India Open (Super 750) held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 18th (Korean time).

As a result, Ahn Se-young confirmed her top status by defeating Wang Ziyi, whom she had faced in the final of the Malaysia Open just a week ago. Including the World Tour Finals 2025, which was the final match of last season, he defeated Wang Zhiyi in three consecutive finals.

Then, China’s ‘Sina Sports’ exclaimed, “The queen’s energy radiating from Ahn Se-young is becoming more and more evident,” and “No one can defeat him now except the passage of time.”

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He also expressed his reverence by saying that it reminded him of the absolute dominance that Viktor Axelsen (32, Denmark) had in his prime in the past. Axelsen was the unrivaled world number one from late 2021 to early 2024.

Axelsen reached the peak by winning his second consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although he achieved the milestone of becoming the first player since Lin Dan to win two consecutive Olympic titles, he later fell to 33rd place in the world due to injuries.

Last season, Ahn Se-young achieved the great feat of tying the record for the most wins in a single season (11 wins) in both men’s and women’s singles, as well as the highest winning percentage ever (94.8%) and the first cumulative prize money to exceed $1 million.

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Ahn Se-young’s momentum continues this season. This is because he is continuing his dominance in ‘an insurmountable wall’ mode against Wang Zhiyi, the world’s second-ranked player right below him. Ahn Se-young is showing overwhelming form by recently winning 10 consecutive wins against Wang Zhiyi.

In an interview with Mixed Zone after winning, Seyoung Ahn said, “I am very tired after playing for two weeks in a row, but I am happy to win. I am grateful for supporting me and I am really happy to be able to show my performance. I did the best I could and always try to win.”

In particular, Ahn Se-young emphasized, “I will try not to lose as much as possible, and although all players will prepare hard with me as their target, it is my job as a player to try not to lose as well.”

She added, “There is pressure and it is difficult, but I persevere because I know that a good moment will come if I persevere,” and did not hide the aspect of a ‘badminton queen.’

Ahn Se-young mentioned the more evolved ‘aggressive’ management, saying, “I always focused more on the attack and did my best,” and revealed the secret to winning, saying, “It’s really unfortunate and not happy to make a mistake, but the important point was to forget quickly and find what I can do again.”

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Even the poor conditions in India did not stop Ahn Se-young from winning. He showed the composure of a champion, saying, “The game in India? It’s good. The only thing that’s a little difficult is the subsequent game, which requires a lot of stamina, but everything else is good.” /[email protected]

[사진] Korean Badminton Association/BADMINTON PHOTO, BWF social media.

Kang Pil-ju ([email protected])