World number 4 Chen Yufei won the 2026 World Badminton Federation Indonesia Masters women’s singles final by defeating world number 36 Pichamon Opatnipus with a set score of 2-0. This tournament was held in the absence of many top ranked players, including world No. 1 Ahn Se-young, and Chen Yu-fei achieved a perfect victory with a clean set in five games from the round of 32 to the final. China’s Sina Sports analyzed that Chen Yufei’s decision to participate in low-level competitions was a strategic choice to avoid Ahn Se-young and manage ranking points.
[OSEN=강필주 기자] Chen Yufei (28, China), ranked 4th in the world, took advantage of the absence of Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) to win the championship.
Chen Yufei defeated world No. 36 Shin Pichamon Opatnipus (19, Thailand) with a set score of 2-0 (23-21, 21-13) in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Indonesia Masters (Super 500) held in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 25th (Korean time).
With this, Chen Yufei won her first win of the season. The result was expected. This tournament was held without the participation of many top rankers, including world number one Seyoung Ahn, second place Wang Zhiyi (26, China), third place Akane Yamaguchi (29, Japan), and fifth place Han Yue (27, China).
It was Chen Yufei’s solo performance. Chen Yufei won the ‘complete championship’ without giving up a single set to her opponent in five games from the round of 32 to the final. Although he allowed a deuce in the first set of the final against Opadniphus, he eventually completed the ‘no-loss set’ summit.
However, some are wondering why world number 4 Chen Yufei participated in a tournament where most of the world’s top ranked players were absent. It is also true that it is a Super 500 level competition, not a Super 1000 or Super 750.
Accordingly, China’s ‘Sina Sports’ emphasized that the reason was “a thorough Ahn Se-young avoidance strategy.” At the current world rankings, Ahn Se-young and Chen Yu-fei will continue to be tied to the same tournament bracket. This means that the possibility of meeting in the semifinals rather than the final is higher than ever.
Chen Yufei’s current ranking points include records from low-scoring Super 300 competitions. The strategy is that if this is replaced with the Super 500 winning points, the ranking can be raised to 2nd or 3rd place.
In this case, Chen Yufei can be placed on the other side of the bracket and avoid Ahn Seyoung. In the end, it is possible to play the final against Ahn Se-young while maintaining as much physical strength as possible.
Sina Sports said, “There is a strong perception that the only player who can compete on equal footing with Ahn Se-young in the current women’s singles structure is Chen Yu-fei,” emphasizing that the reason Chen Yu-fei participates in low-level competitions is to avoid Ahn Se-young and manage ranking points.
He also emphasized that the key strategy is to “avoid an early confrontation and, if possible, increase the ranking and make the match advantageous in order to exhaust Ahn Se-young’s stamina and condition,” adding that the plan is to put the brakes on Ahn Se-young’s dominant system. /letmeout@osen.co.kr
[사진] Korean Badminton Association/BADMINTON PHOTO, BWF social media.
