Overcame the ‘Round of 32 of Hell’ and made a perfect comeback, defeating Okuhara 2-0 and announcing the ‘return of the Empress’
“Heaven will also help us win 3 times in a row” Hanwe, our biggest opponent in the quarterfinals, withdraws
First championship ‘King’s Boulevard’ held in 2026
Ahn Se-young is celebrating after defeating China’s Wang Zhiyi 2-1 (21-13 18-21 21-10) in the women’s singles final of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Zhejiang, China on the 21st (local time), achieving her 11th win of the season.Newsis
[파이낸셜뉴스] ‘Badminton Empress’ Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) went back and forth between hell and heaven in one day. The anxiety that had caused me to break into a cold sweat the previous day turned into complete cheer in just 37 minutes. Ahn Se-young’s run toward the first win of the new year in 2026 has accelerated.
World No. 1 Ahn Se-young brutally defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara (world No. 30) with a set score of 2-0 (21-17 21-7) in the round of 16 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 8th.
Just one day ago, Ahn Se-young, who had fought against Michelle Lee (Canada) for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the round of 32, was not there.
The body was as light as a feather, and the racket was harsh.
Trailing 13-15 in the middle of the first set, there was a moment of uneasiness, but at that moment, Ahn Se-young’s ‘winner instinct’ awakened. His specialty, a sharp diagonal attack, penetrated every corner of the court and quickly turned the tide with three consecutive scores. After that, scoring 4 points and taking the first set was just a preview.
The second set was truly ‘Ahn Se-young’s solo stage.’ After conceding the first goal, he showed off his power by scoring 11 points in a row. The audience erupted in exclamation at the storm-like attack that Okuhara, the opponent, had no time to do anything about. The game ended in 37 minutes with an overwhelming score of 21-7, well over the double score.
Good news that further increased Ahn Se-young’s chances of winning came from outside the stadium. ‘China’s powerhouse’ Han Yue (5th in the world), who was expected to meet in the quarterfinals, suddenly withdrew.
Initially, Ahn Se-young was expected to have a fierce battle with Hanwe, but due to this withdrawal, she had to fight for a ticket to the semifinals with Rine Højmark Kiersfeld (Denmark, ranked 26th in the world), who had a relatively easy match. It was as if he followed ‘heavenly luck’.
Ahn Se-young is the ‘Queen of Malaysia’ who has already reached the top of this competition in 2024 and 2025.
If he wins this tournament, he will achieve the unprecedented feat of winning three tournaments in a row.
Last year, Ahn Se-young created the ‘myth’ of having the most wins in a single season (11 wins), the highest winning percentage (94.8%), and the highest prize money ever (over $1 million). It is evaluated that her ‘writing a new history’ has already begun, with overwhelming performance and Dae Jin-woon from the beginning of the new year in 2026.
Ahn Se-young is aiming for the first trophy of the new year in the forced march leading up to the India Open on the 13th, with a strong ambition to “exceed the record she set.”
jsi@fnnews.com Reporter Jeon Sang-il
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